Romelu Lukaku is not a bad striker by any means, but he definitely is not suited to play in a high pressing team against opposition sitting deep.
I know everyone is fantasizing about whom we might bring in, but I think there’s a good chance that we’ll have no new attackers come the start of the season. There’s a lot of work to do in the transfer market, and I think we’ll get the biggest bang for our buck by upgrading slots in defence and midfield.
We have a plethora of attackers but few defenders, so probably the best we can do is get a couple of high-quality defenders and hopefully a midfielder who is more creative than our current options. My proposed depth chart at the bottom of this post highlights the lack of depth in defence, which is not news to anybody. A 4-3-3 means we have one less defender to sign and can put more of our attacking talent on the field.
My thinking has been that Romelu Lukaku did best at Inter in the right half-space. If we are going to use him effectively next season, I think TT ought to look at getting him there more often.
I’d like to see a 4-3-3 with Havertz in the centre to drop back and link play, then Romelu Lukaku on the right, and one of Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi, or Werner on the left. Mount would drop back into the midfield three to link play more often.
Can Romelu Lukaku Strikes Again For Chelsea ?
Romelu Lukaku has linked quite well with Reece James when they have played together, so I’d like to see that develop more. With Romelu Lukaku in the half-space, he can’t be marked by both centre backs, so he’ll have better chances to play in James, then turn and crash into the box for the return crosses.
I’ve been particularly impressed this season with the way Mount, James, and Chalobah would combine down our right to create chances; they seemed to have a great understanding, particularly during that top-of-the-league autumn period when James and Chilwell were coming inside to supplement the buildup in midfield. I’d like to see more of this, and I see Romelu Lukaku as an additional component of that attack.
The focus so far has been getting the best from Romelu Lukaku, but I think this formation also helps the left side of the attack. Both Werner and Pulisic are better closer to the centre of the park than as wingers, so playing in the left half space off Havertz gets them into their best position. In particular, I think it helps Pulisic, who can thrive getting to the back post after James and Romelu Lukaku have worked the ball down the right for a cross.
I’m not so sure about Werner, but there may be more space for him in a formation where Havertz is dropping in the centre and Romelu Lukaku is threatening the right. Defenders will have to follow them upfield or let them turn unopposed, so this creates a higher line than the deep blocks that have so frustrated Werner so far.
Hudson-Odoi is a bit different; he is a much better winger than the other two, so he could operate wider to overload full backs alongside Chilwell in the gleeful way that Duff and Robben would do. But having a more inside role would also help him; he can go both sides if he’s not pressed against the touchline, and I think his frustrating shooting would also be more dangerous when the angle is less tight.
Creating chances from midfield has been a problem, so Mount would strengthen that aspect of our play. I don’t think Kanté or Jorginho have much more to offer than they’ve shown, though we might get more out of Kovačić and RLC.
(Far too many times, we have had Rudiger as the open man, looking for the final pass, which is far from ideal; most opponents were happy to let Rudi shoooooooot high into the stand, his blooter against Brentford notwithstanding.) I’m sure Gallagher has a role this year, and he’s shown he can be creative, but I think he’ll operate from further back.
Chelsea FC’s line-up including Romelu Lukaku
We’re all waiting for the shiny new signings to fawn or fume over, but based on the current squad, I think our best (and backup) 4-3-3 is:
Mendy (Kepa)
James (Azp, Sterling) – Chalobah (Ampadu) – Silva (Colwill) – Chilwell (Alonso)
Mount (Ziyech, RLC) – Kanté (Gallagher, Gilmour) – Kovačić (Jorginho)
Lukaku (CHO) – Havertz (Broja) – Pulisic (Werner)