English Premier League giants Chelsea turned around their season under their new manager Graham Potter.
They recently defeated AC Milan in their last match and are now in the top position in their Champions League group. Meanwhile, in the English Premier League, Chelsea have won five of their first eight matches.
With sixteen points they are currently in the fourth position at the league table. Now Graham Potter’s Chelsea will face an Aston Villa side who are currently struggling at the sixteenth position in the table.
So before the match, let’s take a look at what changes can Chelsea gaffer Graham Potter make in his lineup against Aston Villa.
Chelsea captain to replace Reece James
English International Reece James suffered an unfortunate injury in Chelsea’s last match against AC Milan. The injury is a serious one and James is out for a long time.
In Reece James’ absence, it is expected that Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta will get back into the starting lineup. However, to do so, Potter will probably change his formation.
The former Brighton manager has so far deployed Azpilicueta in only a four-back defense. So in that case, he will have to sacrifice one of his centre-backs to the bench.
Now if Potter still wants to play with a five-back system, he can deploy Ruben Loftus-Cheek or one of his wingers as the wing-back.
Loftus-Cheek can also be brought back into the starting line-up as a proper central midfielder. He is in fine form and with Potter rotating his midfield regularly, we might see him again in the Aston Villa match.
Rest for Mason Mount
Mason Mount is currently the biggest asset for Chelsea. There is no doubt regarding this. His versatility and performances in the big matches are the biggest proof.
Similar to the last couple of seasons, he has been the most influential player in this Chelsea team. He has started in every match under Chelsea gaffer Graham Potter.
With the Qatar World Cup 2022 happening in November, Chelsea have a very tight schedule. They have already lost Reece James and Fofana because of injuries. Now they will not want to see their best player getting injured.
Although Mount played only one half, Graham Potter might give him some rest in the match against Aston Villa. In Mount’s absence, they can easily put German forward Kai Havertz in a no.10 role.
Overall we are expecting a heavily rotated side for Chelsea in the Aston Villa match.
