New Chelsea formation can solve Ben Chilwell headache and help Tuchel fulfil Dortmund prophecy

Chelsea has known for a while that Ben Chilwell would not be returning this season.

A devastating blow for a player that was providing great quality to upgrade Thomas Tuchel's system.

Even though there have been some enjoyable wins, Chelsea's play has been unable to reach the level felt before Chilwell's ACL injury in November against Juventus.

The fluid movement, the intensity of play and devastating wide rotations enabled Chelsea to disable methods of opposing defences to stifle Tuchel's masterplan. Tuchel has probably realised that no one in his squad can replicate Chilwell's skillset, so he has started to switch formations.

In the eleven games following Chilwell's injury, Tuchel kept the same system.

The only variation came in the forward line, which can sometimes switch from a central attacker flanked by two inside 10's to a split striker system with a player roaming behind.

But a 3-4-2-1 was most used, with Tuchel fielding Marcos Alonso in Chilwell's place.

Though with COVID cases and injury limiting his options, Tuchel suddenly switched to a 4-2-2-2 for the visit of Spurs in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. The move worked with Chelsea winning comfortably 2-0.

Tuchel used a four-man defence two more times against Spurs, winning both the second leg 1-0 and the league clash at the end of January 2-0.

At the Club World Cup, Tuchel reverted to a 3-4-2-1 and 3-5-2.

However, both performances had their frailties and still a sense that Chelsea's attack was not functioning smoothly. In the final, Alonso was replaced by Hudson-Odoi at wing-back and the academy talent set up Romelu Lukaku's opener.

With Reece James on the brink of returning from his hamstring injury, Tuchel will have one of his first-choice