Joe Cole includes 27-year-old Chelsea outcast in strongest Blues XI as both Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto miss outÂ
Former Chelsea forward Joe Cole surprised fans by choosing outcast Ben Chilwell, but excluding Nicolas Jackson and Pedo Neto while curating the Blues' strongest possible XI. The Blues have made a solid start to the season, amassing seven points in four games and losing only to Manchester City.
Chelsea went through a massive overhaul in the summer transfer window as new manager Enzo Maresca made substantial changes to the squad before starting his first Premier League season at Stamford Bridge.
Joe Cole was given the daunting task of selecting the strongest XI from the revamped squad, and in doing so, he made some interesting decisions (via TNT Sports).
Cole chose Robert Sanchez as his starting goalkeeper and Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana as the central defenders. The trio have been impressive for Chelsea so far this season. He also showed faith in captain Reece James, whose tenure at the club has been filled with injuries.
The first curious decision was the inclusion of Ben Chilwell at left-back. The former Leicester City defender was excluded from the club's first-team training sessions by Enzo Maresca during the transfer window as the Blues tried to offload him. However, Cole still chose Chilwell ahead of Euro 2024 champion Marc Cucurella.
Cole picked Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in midfield but went with an unconventional frontline. The Chelsea legend chose Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho while ignoring the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Joao Felix, and Pedro Neto. He paired him up with Christopher Nkunku. The other two players completing the frontline were Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke.
How have Chelsea fared in the Premier League so far?
Despite beginning their Premier League 2024-25 season with a loss against Manchester City, Chelsea have looked solid in the new campaign so far. After a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Pep Guardiola's men, The Blues registered a 2-0 win against Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier.
In their next game, the Blues demolished Wolverhampton Wanderers by a margin of 6-2. Noni Madueke was the star of the show, registering a hat-trick (49', 58', and 63') in just 14 minutes in the second half.
They couldn't keep up that momentum though, losing the away leg of the European Conference League qualifier against Servette. The Blues won 3-2 on aggregate, though, securing passage to the main competition.
They followed it up with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at home. The match also saw the presentation of Jadon Sancho at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman made his debut in the next game against Bournemouth, providing a crucial assist to help Christopher Nkunku score the game's solitary goal in the dying minutes (86').
The Blues will face West Ham United at the London Stadium on September 21.