Reece James return could benefit four Chelsea players as Thomas Tuchel ponders formation switch

The road to recovery is nearing completion for Reece James and he will be expected to be fit for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool this weekend. The question is not whether or not he starts if he is able to prove his fitness. It’s if Chelsea abandon their 4-2-2-2 set up and revert back to the traditional 3-4-3 to accommodate his return.

The new setup has worked a treat for Thomas Tuchel’s attack so far, especially Hakim Ziyech. Where the 3-4-3 had its limitations for the attackers, it could be beneficial to completely abandon the regime and stick to what is working and bringing the best out of the Moroccan creator currently.

It could also unlock a certain £97m striker who probably needs a creative outlet from out wide like James in the setup.

Antonio Rudiger can handle himself in a back four. The fear of sticking to a back four is no longer an issue due to the defensive limitations that have been clearly eradicated on Tuchel's watch. Rudiger and whichever central defender he partners have proven to be reliable in whichever formation, though some tweaks would need to be made to consistently keep out opposition forwards.

With Ben Chilwell and James yet to return, the 4-2-2-2 could be a suitable formation to allow Chelsea’s attack to flourish in full force. Having four attackers is, to my mind at least, always better than three. Chelsea’s output has been suffering. Despite scoring 19 goals in 11 matches, the Blues' attacks have lacked the same thrust in the final third compared to when they had their wing-backs, whose consistent excellent delivery from wide positions caused all sorts of problems for defenders.

There is currently no expected return date for Chilwell but James is nearing his comeback and given