Chelsea will be keen to end their season on a high in front of their fans when they welcome Watford to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. However, they have nothing to play for with Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Leicester all but securing third place in the Premier League.
The Blues are three points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham with a far superior goal difference. And Watford only have pride to play for with relegation to the Championship confirmed weeks ago.
Home form has been a concern for Thomas Tuchel’s side with the club only winning eight of their 18 top flight matches in west London ahead of the clash with the Hornets. And it’s an issue the former PSG boss is keen to address going into next season.
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"Of course, I think we can do better. I think it is not a lot; it is margins. He told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
"We will look into that - it is not the moment when I have analysed everything and I don’t have the answer because we would have changed it before. We struggle with efficiency, with goal-scoring records, with consistency, with determination, with precision in the box against teams who defend deep."
Tuchel will be keen to start as he means to go and end the campaign with a home win. With that said, football.london takes a look at a few possible ways the Blues can line-up on Sunday.
Unchanged from Leicester
Chelsea dominated the clash with the Foxes but due to the profligacy of their finishing they were forced to settle for a draw. The forward line of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku caused Leicester a number of problems, and they should find the side second from bottom an easier side to breakdown.
The Hornets are also the joint second-lowest scorers in the league so Trevor Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger should be in for a quiet afternoon. The latter’s selection would also allow the Stamford Bridge faithful to say goodbye to the German, whose contract expires next month.
Line-up: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Ziyech, Pulisic; Lukaku.
Give squad players an opportunity
With nothing to play for Sunday's game could allow Tuchel to tinker with his side and take a closer look at players on the fringes of the first team.
The likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ross Barkley and Malang Sarr have rarely got opportunities to impress throughout the campaign, and with third all but wrapped up the supporting cast could stake a claim as to whether they're worth a place in the starting XI next season.
Line-up: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Sarr; James, Saul, Loftus-Cheek, Alonso; Barkley, Pulisic; Lukaku.
Switch to a back four
The ability to be able to switch between a back three and a four-man defence is something that would allow the Blues to alter their shape/set-up depending on the opposition.
It’s rare in football that you get an opportunity to experiment with no real consequences and as such Tuchel could afford to play an extra man in midfield or attack and really entertain the fans in their final match of the season.
Line-up: Mendy; James, Silva, Rudiger, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho; Ziyech, Mount, Pulisic; Havertz.
