There must have come a point in the past fortnight that Graham Potter cast his eye across the treatment room at Cobham and thought about what could be. Reece James at right-back; Ben Chilwell left-back; N'Golo Kante the one-man midfield; Armando Broja leading the line.
Unfortunately, such thoughts are rather fanciful for the Chelsea head coach. The reality is far more difficult as he prepares for what has become a hugely important game against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Blues need a win – and it doesn't matter how it is delivered at Stamford Bridge.
"We have to assess all the players in terms of recovery and injury, whatever we have," said Potter in his pre-match press conference. "Then we have to be positive, move forward, and take a home game on. It’s another London derby against a team with dangerous players. So we have to be good and prepare the team."
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Chelsea have won just one of their previous nine Premier League matches. It is a wretched run of form that has seen Potter's side slump to tenth in the table. Ten players are injured and many others are badly struggling for confidence. Yet Potter faces the unenviable task of having to pick an XI to win the game.
So we tasked our Chelsea reporters Adam Newson and Scott Trotter to do the same. Their respective XIs are below.
Adam Newson
The injury issues that continue to blight Chelsea do not make it easy to pick a starting XI with confidence. In that respect, I have huge sympathy for Graham Potter. It is a near-inevitability that an underperforming star or two will make it into the side against Crystal Palace.
Kepa Arrizabalga is very much case in point. The Spaniard has been at fault for goals conceded against both Manchester City and Fulham in Chelsea's last two Premier League outings, yet with Edouard Mendy ruled out after undergoing surgery on a fractured finger there isn't a genuine alternative.
I would continue with the back-three shape used against Fulham despite the defeat. Trevoh Chalobah had a difficult night at Craven Cottage but has otherwise performed well this season so I'd start him on the right, Thiago Silva on the left, and January signing Benoit Badiashile on the left.
Cesar Azpilicueta gets the nod at right wing-back despite his obvious limitations. In the middle of the pitch – and with no N'Golo Kante or Denis Zakaria to pick from – I'd go with the out-of-form Mateo Kovacic and something of a wildcard in Carney Chukwuemeka. Marc Cucurella would then come in at left wing-back.
Mason Mount's performances this season remain a few levels from his best but I'd continue with the England international in the number ten role behind two forwards. One would be Kai Havertz and the other would be David Datro Fofana, who is incredibly raw but would bring an element of unpredictability to the frontline.
Adam's XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Badiashile; Azpilicueta, Chukwuemeka, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount; Havertz, Fofana
Scott Trotter
Despite his mistake, Kepa Arrizabalaga is probably the man to start in goal with Edouard Mendy still unavailable. The selection in front of him seems more difficult. Following two poor outings from Trevoh Chalobah and Kalidou Koulibaly, Benoit Badiashile might even be in line for a debut to partner Thiago Silva.
With an injury to Denis Zakaria, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho seem set to make up the base of midfield but on this occasion it may be time for Conor Gallagher to receive an opportunity. The former Crystal Palace loanee has rarely been given a chance to operate in the manner he did away from the club, and perhaps against the Eagles could be his opportunity with the likes of Mason Mount well out of form.
Graham Potter appears to have some confidence in Kai Havertz leading the forward line, while Hakim Ziyech has come clutch for the Blues before against Palace. Carney Chukwuemeka should finish the front three in a bid to see whether his flourishes can extend over the course of the match.
Scott's XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Badiashile, Hall; Jorginho, Kovacic, Gallagher; Ziyech, Havertz, Chukwuemeka.
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