One of Chelsea’s challenges this season, as I predicted earlier, is finding a starting XI that balances our best players while trying to fit them all into the lineup. Right now, that feels nearly impossible. This is both a blessing and a curse—a “good problem,” as I’ve often said in previous articles.
Take Sunday’s match, for example. Christopher Nkunku, arguably our best finisher and one of our top attacking midfielders, didn’t even get on the pitch while we were searching for a goal. How crazy is that? The issue is that Cole Palmer occupies his preferred position, and Nicolas Jackson is currently starting as our striker, which he fully deserves. That said, I still don’t think either of them is an ideal No. 9.
You could push Palmer out wide to accommodate Nkunku in the center, but that would mean leaving Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, and Jadon Sancho to battle it out for one wing spot. And I haven’t even mentioned Joao Felix yet!
The only certainties for me are Jackson, as our only true striker (since Marc Guiu is still too raw), and Palmer. Beyond that, everything feels up for debate. Neto has been in good form recently, and I rate him highly, but Sancho also impressed in his first few games and remains a serious threat. Mudryk has been improving, while Madueke seems to have lost some momentum and wouldn’t make my best XI right now.
If I had to choose, I’d probably go with Neto and Sancho as the wingers, Palmer as the No. 10, and Jackson leading the line. But even that doesn’t sit right with me because I’m desperate to find a way to get Nkunku into the starting XI—just not as a striker.
It’s a fantastic dilemma to have, even if we are still lacking a true No. 9 in the squad.
What do you think our best attacking lineup should be? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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