I was just looking back at the 2017 lineup and honestly, that team was something else. Even as a neutral who just enjoyed watching high-level football back then, the grit and clinical nature of that squad was unmatched.
With the current project under way, we can see the potential, but there’s definitely a missing piece in terms of finishing and 'dark arts' upfront. For me, Diego Costa would be the perfect fit for this current team. Imagine Palmer feeding balls to a prime Costa—it would be clinical.
If you could pick just ONE player from this 2017 era to drop into the current starting XI, who are you choosing and why?
by Kooky-Scholar-9239
19 Comments
Obviously, Eden Hazard is the dream pick—his magic was irreplaceable and a joy to watch for any football fan. But looking at the current Chelsea squad, there’s already plenty of creative talent. What I feel is truly missing is that ‘monster’ upfront. Someone with Diego Costa’s aggression, clinical finishing, and pure winning mentality. A prime Costa being fed by Palmer would be absolutely lethal and exactly what’s needed to finish off games
Luiz, Kante or Hazard would move mountains for this team. Costa and Matic too but the others are enormous upgrades, especially Hazard
Everyone and their mothers changed to 3-4-3 as well
Just give me Dave. Our defensive instability is what costs us the most. Yes we need finishing help but we just cannot keep clean sheets.
PSG leg 1 we were generally keeping in it until our defensive and gk errors
https://preview.redd.it/yn4tn8dlnwrg1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=774b54178b412997712b624b2f92e422727dca8a
We’re looking at 2017 and calling that team something else. Back in 2016, virtually this same team was called soft, a bunch of rats, and what not with people pining for that prime 2012 team.
How the times change.
Hazard or any of the CBs really
Are we forgetting Fábregas here?
Look, I get that we were spurned by him, but prime Courtois would solve a lot of problems for us at the back. He would be barking orders at his CB’s and we wouldn’t have to worry about giving the ball back to the opposition due to some boneheaded blunder. For me Courtois is the pick even if he isn’t a Chelsea legend. Second pick would be David Luiz. We sure could use consistency at the back.
We also had a world class head coach that made all the difference.
When we bought players because they were good, and not a potential profit down the line 🥲 With this ownership, we might never see days like this again.
Anyone who did not answer with one of the back four here did not understand the assignment.
Honestly? Kante would allow the current team to keep the CBs they have because he limited a lot of the trouble that came at them.
A double pivot with Kante and Moi would make most CBs look stellar 😮💨
With how this season is going.
This team would smoke any team in the PL and won the PL with ease.
Even the current meta of PL physicality and set pieces this team had it all.
Alonso, Costa , Matic, Cahill and luiz were monster in the air combined with Courtios as a GK.
And I don’t need to tell anyone how about Hazard,costa and Kante.
As much as I wanna say Hazard at LW we desperately need a competent CB so I’d take Cahill.
I would say Azpi but we have James at RB so I’ll take Cahill
He’s not the best player there but Matic would make the biggest difference to this squad aside from Hazard as the obvious pick. We need a big physical presence in midfield to break things up.
Dat Kante Matic Midfield. My goodness. Not getting past that. Fight a mountain or get dispossessed by one of the best to do it.
Then Costa magic, then Hazard? Dead ball specialist Alonso. Courtois in goal.
This shit just makes me sad. Standards have massively, massively fallen.
If I had to take one of these for the current team, it’d be Azpi and it wouldn’t even be close. What we lack isn’t skilled, quality players. What we lack is leadership and discipline. Azpi would instill that instantly, he was fucking fantastic for Chelsea, one of the clubs best servants of the last several decades.
If you chose Hazard I’d understand why, but he is the antithesis of what we actually *need*
Why is Willian in the first lineup over Pedro? In reality, that wasn’t the case most of that season.