Mauricio Pochettino has a fantasy four-man Chelsea lineup despite a serious injury for the match against Liverpool.

Football in Chelsea’s 2023–24 preseason has two games completed. London examines the possible defensive alignment for the Blues when they play Liverpool next month.

When the defender started against Brighton in Philadelphia yesterday, fans finally got the chance to see Levi Colwill in action for Chelsea.

Against the Seagulls, the 20-year-old center back started in defense alongside Thiago Silva, who is nearly twice his age. The hype surrounding the young Chelsea defender was fueled by Colwill, who stood out as looking particularly accomplished in the center of defense.

Malo Gusto played right fullback while Ben Chilwell played left fullback. Reece James recently made his way to the United States on his own. However, James is currently in training with his Chelsea teammates and might participate in Thursday’s match against Newcastle United.

But the back-four that Mauricio Pochettino started with against Brighton in Philadelphia might be comparable to what we see when Chelsea plays Liverpool in their opening Premier League game of the 2023–24 season next month.
So, let’s talk football.

London examines what Chelsea’s back line might look like when the Reds visit Stamford Bridge.

Possible Chelsea defense against Liverpool.

We may have seen something resembling the lineup Pochettino intends to use against Liverpool by substituting James for Gusto. In the two games he has played so far, Gusto has shown tremendous promise, especially against Brighton, where he held his own against the incredibly gifted Kaoru Mitoma.

Gusto, however, has to contend with James, one of the best right backs in all of football, which is unfortunate for him. Pochettino’s team will be significantly strengthened in the back-four if Chelsea can keep James healthy for the upcoming season.

James and Chilwell, Chelsea’s full-backs, will be able to find themselves in much more dangerous attacking situations with Colwill now in defense. Colwill has a ridiculous passing range. It adds a new defensive dimension for the team.

When the child picks up the ball, he consistently scans the wide areas for players. Nine times out of ten, he has the aptitude and vision to locate these players. Against Brighton on Sunday morning, we witnessed such brilliance.

Currently, Lewis Hall, Marc Cucurella, and Ian Maatsen are all viable options for the Blues to choose from on the left side of the defense. Recent games featured Hall in his preferred position in central midfield, which may provide an indication of what Pochettino has in store for the 18-year-old going forward.

The Cobham graduate’s abilities at left-back are, however, well known to us.
However, the Blues have absurd depth at left-back thanks to Maatsen and Cucurella, who have both been outstanding in Chelsea’s two preseason games.

It does not appear as good in center-back. As a football player, Wesley Fofana has torn his anterior cruciate ligament. A significant portion of the upcoming season will now be lost by the France international due to the serious injury, London announced last week.

Benoît Badiashile, who experienced a hamstring issue toward the end of the previous season, is still recovering in the meantime. The Frenchman is currently back at Cobham as he speeds up his recovery process, but he hopes to rejoin the squad for the start of the season.

Colwill, Silva, and Trevoh Chalobah are the only senior center backs left for Chelsea. But once Badiashile is healthy again, Pochettino’s situation will be much more appealing.

Swipe to vote for which of the following prospects you would like to see in the starting lineup or loaned out for experience.