Chelsea Football Formation

Lineup (4-2-3-1)

P. Cech · J. Terry · B. Ivanovic · D. Luiz · A. Cole · O. Romeu · Lampard / Meireles · Ramires · J. Mata · D. Sturridge · F. Torres

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE COMMENTING. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM MOST WELCOME. TROLLING/FLAMING NOT APPRECIATED. THANKS :D

The formation I've suggested here is a basic 4-2-3-1. The pitch positions have been slightly tweaked to represent the players' actual pitch positions over the course of our matches. Allow me to explain the pillars of the formation:

The DEFENSE
JT is a natural starter here due to his aerial dominance & leadership at the back. I've partnered him with our favorite evergreen David Luiz, who can supplement JT's lack of pace with his speedy covering. Plus, having him in defense gives our defending an extra zip, building attacks from the back & carrying the ball out of defense, & his passing is smart & incisive too. I know he gets blame for mistakes, but in my opinion, Luiz is our best CB at moving to block shots & passing lanes. Cole too automatically at LB as his pacy movement gives us excellent width down the left in attack, plus his forward movement frees up Mata a bit to drift inwards & support Torres, which is desperately needed. Iva at RB because Monobrowsingwa can't be trusted defensively. Reduces wide attack options a bit ['cause Sturridge drifts inwards too] but I'll take solid defending over frequent crossing. He's also GREAT at set-pieces, although I think you might agree when I say that Ivanovic can be a BIT more adventurous going forward.

The MIDFIELD
I've included Oriol Romeu over Mikel because I felt we've played more fluidly with him in the lineup, as he helps transfer the ball from defense to offense quickly and efficiently. His passing has been INCREDIBLY accurate & he plays more forward passes than Mikel. Lampard [or Meireles] is one I've DELIBERATELY kept deep & NOT further advanced because he's older now, his movement & passing are slowing us in the attacking third of the pitch a bit, so I think his excellent ball distribution & range can be better used if he sits deep & plays long balls around to the flanks & to runners. drifting towards the edge of the boxes like Ramires. Plus, one of the BIGGEST assets of my formation being 4-2-3-1 is the fact that every so often, the 2 defensive/deep midfielders can take turns going forward to join the attack, since Romeu is defensively better, Lamps would take this responsibility, meaning he can make his trademark late runs into the box & take shots. Ramires is in there due to his exceptional stamina & pace - he's good at Pressing, can make LUNGBUSTING runs forward to support Torres as well as track back swiftly when possession is lost.

The ATTACK
On the right side, I had TWO choices - the intelligent movement & clever play of Anelka, Versus the goals+dribbling but-not-much-else of Sturridge, I've gone with Danny as I feel his explosive pace will be really useful in swift counter-attacks, plus he's in form & scoring. His passing/distribution can be expected to improve as the season progresses. Our master playmaker Mata was an obvious choice too, because of his intelligent movement, clever & quick passing, ACCURATE distribution plus the goals & assists he keeps chipping in with. His understanding with Torres too will be needed to get the best out of our front-man. If you look at the formation closely, you'll see I've left space on the left for Ashley Cole to rush into while attacking, freeing up Mata to drift inward, from where he gets space to shoot & chip balls over the defense, & dictate play because he's underrated in the following regard, but he's VERY good in central positions. Torres upfront, because, well, he's our striking position's next generation, he's quick, I've no doubts with his shooting skill, & if ball service is good & constant, I back him to score & succeed. That was the reason I suggested Lampard / MEIRELES in my formation. Because Raul is quicker at driving forward & moving the ball than Frank.

That's all I got so far. On a sidenote, I'd just like to suggest that Mata should be our main corner & long-freekick taker from now as he does a better job of delivering balls into the box. Lamps (/Drogba) are still best at spot-kicks & direct freekicks. Please comment, suggestions, opinions & feedback always welcome. :)