Chelsea will be looking to correct last weekend’s slip when they travel to Tottenham, and Enzo Maresca has some big calls to make.
There is ground to be gained in the Premier League with just three points separating third place and ninth, where Chelsea currently sit.
Spurs are the team in third, and the chance to draw level with them on points is huge.
With that in mind, Maresca needs to field a strong starting lineup to take the game to Thomas Frank’s side at the London Stadium.
Liam Delap saw red against Wolves, meaning Joao Pedro will likely lead the line, but the decision of who to play on the wings is far from straightforward.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca tells Liam Delap off after red card
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca has a difficult choice to make on the wings vs Tottenham
Chelsea’s attacking depth this season gives Maresca plenty of options when choosing his lineup, but that also means plenty of headaches.
The four candidates to start on the flanks are Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho.
Paul Merson thinks Neto has to play due to how open he expects the game to be. That said, Gittens feels undroppable after his Wolves performance, and he and Estevao have impressed when on the pitch together.
But one player who loves a big six tie is Garnacho. After grabbing his first Chelsea goal, he’ll want to keep the momentum going.
Alejandro Garnacho celebrates scoring for Chelsea vs Sunderland
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Merson is right that this will be an open game on Saturday, but that doesn’t really make the decision any simpler. All the aforementioned forwards are rapid in transition.
With five goals in his last seven games, Estevao’s form is hard to ignore. He has given Maresca no reason to drop him.
That means it’s between the other three to start on the left. After a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge, Gittens was phenomenal in midweek. We’re leaning towards the Englishman to get another bite of the cherry.
Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez down the middle
Delap surely would have started this one if not for his botched return that has seen him suspended for the weekend’s action.
Pedro has been the main man up top in his absence, and while Marc Guiu and Tyrique George have both played well in recent weeks, the stature of this tie calls for more experience.
Enzo Fernandez has found the most success covering for Cole Palmer’s absence, and given the physicality of Spurs in the middle of the park, having another solid body ahead of the double-pivot feels like the right call.
There are cases to be made for all of Chelsea’s attackers to get the nod. That’s a good position for Maresca to find himself in. Whatever decision he makes won’t spark outrage, but Gittens and Estevao have the best form and that feels like a good way to approach the decision.