Squad depth is something which every team desires. Manchester City and Liverpool are very strong this season and have almost two strong players for every position.
Manchester City is especially is spoilt when it comes to midfielders and wingers. They have the liberty to choose from David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Ikay Gundagon, Mahrez, Sane, Sterling and so on.
Liverpool gets to choose from Mane, Salah, Firmino, Sturridge, Shaquiri, Lallana, Keita, Winaldum, Milner, Henderson and a lot of other players. It is fair to say both these teams do not need any more signings.
Chelsea does not seem like a team with a lot of squad depth but it is surprising to find out the number of players they have for each position.
To this end, we decided to form two starting elevens for Chelsea. The first one is filled with the players who start for Maurizio Sarri whereas the second eleven is made up of the players who are unable to find a place in the starting eleven.
The First XI
This will most likely look like the final eleven Sarri adopts once all his players are fit. Pedro might come in for Willian and it is yet to be seen whether Kovacic will start for Chelsea but it seems the Chelsea starting XI will look more or less like this.
In goal, Chelsea has Kepa Arizzabalaga. Arizzabalaga is yet to prove himself but as Chelsea spent a lot of money on him he is bound to start.
In defense, they have Luiz, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, and Alonso. Luiz and Alonso are not the most mobile defenders but they find their place on the starting eleven due to their attacking ability.
The midfield trio consists of Jorginho, Kovacic, and Kante. This midfield trio seems lethal as it has the perfect blend of mobility and creativity.
As for the front three, we put Hazard and Willian along with Alvaro Morata.
The Second XI
Players like Fabregas, Barkley, and Pedro may have a chance of being in the first XI for Chelsea. Having said that for simplicity they are part of the second eleven.
In goal, we have Willy Caballero. While he is a questionable keeper, if Arrizbalaga does not perform well, Caballero will surely step into the starting eleven.
Ampadu and Christensen will be the center backs for the second XI. Both of them might argue that they form a better pairing than Luiz and Rudiger. The full-back spots are taken up by Emerson and Zappacosta. Both Emerson and Zappacosta are speedy and will be looking to impress Sarri at every opportunity they get.
Ruben Loftus Cheek, Cesc Fabregas, and Ross Barkley form the midfield trio. While this midfield trio is not very mobile, it is filled with great passers of the ball.
Giroud will lead the second eleven and he will be supported on the wings by Pedro and Hudson Odoi.
Both of these squads seem good enough to compete in the Premier League. Added to these squads are players like Gary Cahill, Victor Moses, Danny Drinkwater, Lucas Piazon and Rob Green who do not even make the starting eleven of either of these teams.
If Chelsea ever decided to call back all the players they have on loan which includes players like Kurt Zouma, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Bakayoko, Kennedy and so on they can actually end up having two full squads with the quality of competing in the Premier League.