Chelsea vs Leicester City: How the Blues can lineup in the FA Cup final
Ahead of the FA Cup final, Bollywood superstar and long-time Chelsea fan Arjun Kapoor was joined by former Bengaluru FC coach Pradhyum Reddy for the latest episode of Talking Tactics. As Chelsea prepare to take on Leicester City at the Wembley Stadium, the two sides will look to pip one another in what promises to be an intriguing tactical battle between Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers.
Under the German tactician, the Blues have shown their class against some of the biggest sides in the world and have quickly become a force to be reckoned with. Having recorded notable victories against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool since the turn of the year, Tuchel has enhanced his reputation as one of the best coaches in the world, as Chelsea have responded brilliantly to his tactics.
Pradhyum Reddy pointed out Chelsea’s tactical flexibility and indicated that this could be an important factor in the FA Cup final. The Blues have enjoyed success with multiple formations this season and can set their team up based on the opposition, indicating that they are a well-coached outfit.
The former Bengaluru FC coach also pointed out the defensive work rate of some of the attacking players like Kai Havertz -- who covered more ground than any player in the second leg of the UCL semi-final against Real Madrid -- and Mason Mount -- who has a knack for popping up in the right places in midfield -- for special praise ahead of the FA Cup showdown against Leicester City.
While talking about the defense, both Arjun Kapoor and Pradhyum Reddy made some interesting comments. Both of them agreed while speaking about Thiago Silva’s impact, with the Brazilian veteran producing a string of magnificent displays since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain.
While picking his preferred XI for the game, Pradhyum made a few intriguing calls regarding the team selection. While it has been confirmed that Kepa Arrizabalaga will start between the sticks, he opted to leave out Cesar Azpilicueta for Reece James, as he explained that the latter is more suited to play against an English side. Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell were the other defenders he picked for Chelsea’s five-man backline.
As far as midfield selection goes, it’s hard to look beyond Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, while Mason Mount is also guaranteed to start. Pradhyum picked Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to complete his lineup, with Christian Pulisic tipped to come off the bench and make an impact as a super-sub.
Pradhyum Reddy’s preferred Chelsea XI: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Reece James, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner
Pradhyum refused to guess the scoreline when asked for his prediction but tipped Chelsea to record a one-goal victory and lift the FA Cup for the ninth time in their history.