We’re heading into the peak fixture pile-up of the season now, with a flurry of games between now and New Year.
That means tiredness, rotation, shock results – and opportunity.
The Blues have a fairly settled first XI under Maurizio Sarri, with only really one central midfield slot and two forward spots alongside Eden Hazard having changed hands.
But there’s bound to be rotation now, and bound to be chances for new players to shine.
The first beneficiary is certain to be Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He’s already making more and more starts as the team is rotated more, and the fact that we play with 3 central midfielders means he will have ample chances to start.
Then, at the back we have Emerson Palmieri. He plays in the second team, but that will mean replacing Alonso every second or third game in such a busy period. The Spaniard isn’t in such good form at the moment, which means the perfect chance for Emerson to break past him into the team.
Finally, Callum Hudson-Odoi has been given a chance thanks to Victor Moses’ injury, and has seemingly established himself ahead of the Nigerian as the fourth choice winger. Given we play with two at a time, that should mean a few starts in the next couple of months.
