Which formations should Chelsea go for next season and who should feature in those formations? I’ve drawn up five formations which would be frequently shuffled across by Chelsea. There are a couple of caveats though – Chelsea would not sign any more players this season except Alex and no one leaves too. This post is written based on the form of these players as they ended the season in May. Sheva can return to Milan form, Ferriera can spit fire, Bridge can overshadow Cole – but this post is written based on the form as it stands.

4-3-3

What I mean here is the 4-3-3 with a triangle midfield and wide wingers. When we have both Robben and Joe Cole fit, I dont think we should think twice about using this formation. Drogba should get the nod ahead of Sheva, purely by his current form. I’d put the hardworking pair of Lampard and Essien in the midfield. By current form, Mikel should play ahead of Ballack but third midfield place should go to Ballack for sheer variety and creativity. Against top 10 teams, I’d use Ferriera and for the bottom 10, I might go for Diarra.

4-4-2

With Robben and Joe Cole both being fit seemingly a rarity, we should be prepared for 4-4-2, which would provide Sheva a start. In a four-man midfield, I surely see a role for Mikel than for Ballack. In this formation, Mikel should play defensively and Essien should go forward. If Mikel plays in a defensive role, a slight compromise at the back should be allright. Diarra would be a more attacking option than Ferreira.

4-1-3-2

All big boys gets to play. Sheva and Drogba upfront. Ballack as the attacking tip with Lampard on the right. Either Joe Cole or Robben on the left. Essien to be the holding midfielder. With Ferreira on the right and the rest remaining the same, this could be most comprehensive and strong Chelsea team possible now. There is a high chance that Jose would stick with this as it’s fair to expect that Sheva and Ballack can only have a better season than the previous one.

3-4-3

This is when things go wrong. We should have Cole, Carvalho and Terry on the back not only for their adaptability but also for their experience. The 4-man midfield would be a diamond with Mikel as the defensive midfielder. I would not prefer Ballack when we badly need a goal and we are on a gung-ho plan. Lampard should move to the tip with Essien on the right and Joe Cole on the left. As you can see, this can be a deadly combination in this formation for hyper-attacking play.

4-2-3-1

This could be used in those Champions league matches where your prime objective is not to lose at any cost. Bridge is a better attacking option that Ashley Cole if we are to have 6 defensive minded players. With our back four guarded by Mikel and Essien, I cannot think of any attack piercing through our fort. Again Ballack cannot find a place here as the defence-heavy set up should be offset by Joe Cole and Robben. I cannot think beyond Drogba to be that one man upfront.

Now you might ask – what happens to Tal, Sidwell, Pizarro, Kalou, Alex, SWP etc. Atleast for this time, let’s have the problem of plenty. There will be injuries (shorter ones, hopefully) and there are domestic cup matches and there are premiership matches before and after champions league matches. No disrespect to their abilities but as back up players, I dont think they expect to make 30+ starts.

While these formations can be used according to the match situation, I’m in love with the 4-3-3 with triangle midfield and wide wingers. I can’t wait to see Chelsea using this to a devastating effect. I hope Jose uses 4-3-3 a lot more in the next season as we were at our best everytime we played it. Now, which of these formations do you think Chelsea should be using next season on a regular basis?

{democracy:49}