Chelsea have some incredible strength in depth across their squad, which is why rival fans may not be too sympathetic towards the frequent injury problems at Stamford Bridge this season.
Frank Leboeuf has just picked what he believes is the strongest Chelsea line-up when everyone is fit and available.
There are some notable omissions by the former Blues player. For instance, Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian didn’t make the final XI. The same goes for French central defender Wesley Fofana, who cost Chelsea a mammoth £70m (BBC) from Leicester City over three years ago.
Estevao has been the Premier League’s best youngster so far during his debut season in English football, and it feels like he’s only just getting started.
Estevao Willian applauds the Chelsea fans after beating Liverpool in the Premier League.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Frank Leboeuf selects strongest Chelsea XI
During a segment on ESPN, Leboeuf was tasked with picking the best line-up at Chelsea, provided every player was available.
Frank Leboeuf’s strongest Chelsea XI: Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Malo Gusto, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro.
As mentioned above, the fact that Fofana and Estevao were snubbed is quite surprising. We suspect a lot of supporters would include Romeo Lavia in the strongest team, too.
Gusto’s inclusion at right wing is the biggest surprise because of the various options in wide areas. Even though the versatile right-back is sometimes deployed higher up the pitch, we view him as the perfect cover in the squad.
Chelsea’s plan with their squad building has been to assemble a young group that can eventually become serial winners over an extended period. At the moment, it still feels like they will come up short against the very best over a long season.
Frank Leboeuf attends Paris Saint-Germain against Aston Villa in the Champions League.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Levi Colwill injury stings
We suspect everyone would include Colwill in Chelsea’s best team. Therefore, the fact he’s sidelined with an ACL injury for the long term has been a catastrophe.
Even though the centre-back picked up the injury during the first training session of the summer, the club didn’t move to sign a replacement because they’ve backed the current crop of central defenders.
Worried Chelsea fans have spotted Colwill during his recovery and claim he’s lost a lot of muscle. Hopefully, the 22-year-old defender can still be the same player when he eventually returns so he can fulfil his obvious potential.