Malang Sarr could be the answer to Chelsea's left-back problems.
Thomas Tuchel has a knack for developing players into positions he sees fit. He's done it with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic so far since his arrival.
In the last 12 months, Tuchel has played Hudson-Odoi in a right wing-back position on many occasions. After seeing the prowess of the Hudson-Odoi on the wing, Tuchel recently abandoned this strategy which opened doors for new ideas.
Chelsea doesn't currently have the personnel to play a 3-4-3 efficiently. The Blues are out of choices with efficient wing-backs. Even though Tuchel openly denied Sarr the opportunity to play wing-back, could this open doors for something else or become a regret?
Since his arrival, Tuchel has been set in using the 3-4-3 / 3-5-2 formation. With a twist in events caused by injuries to Ben Chilwell and Reece James, Chelsea quickly became out of options to sustain the three at the back. Tuchel has answered his critics and has switched to a four at the back formation in recent games.
First against Chesterfield in the FA Cup, now against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Sarr had played two different roles in both matches, showing his versatility to the world. Naturally a centre-back, Sarr eased his way through the Tottenham match playing as a left-back. It’s strange how this positional tweak set him on fire with Chelsea fans dishing out Roberto Carlos comparisons. Light-hearted joke, of course.
Sarr is not the solution at left wing-back as Tuchel had kindly put. The Chelsea boss has been keen on recalling Emerson from Lyon to accommodate his traditional formation. Recent reports show that Lyon is far from keen for the Italian to return to Stamford Bridge this January, despite Chelsea attempting to offer £3.4m compensation. I don’t blame Lyon for rejecting this offer. Emerson has become a regular starter for them, so Chelsea will have to figure out what to do next if they do not budge.
The options so far are to keep Marcos Alonso as the designated left wing-back, recall and fast track 18-year-old Ian Matssen, who is currently playing first-team football with Coventry City or continue to trial this four at the back system. Potentially with Sarr wielding the left-back role.
It’s pretty comical how Chelsea have found themselves in this situation. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have pulled Chilwell off the pitch against Juventus five minutes before his injury happened. I’m sure every Chelsea fan would.
With Lucas Digne surprisingly out of the picture, it is clear that Tuchel is searching for an in house solution. The next move could either be a colossal regret or a stroke of genius for the Chelsea boss. We have to wait and see what happens the rest of this transfer window.
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