If you’re trying to keep track of the line up of Chelsea right now, honestly, I don’t blame you for being confused. It’s a mess. A fascinating, expensive, high-stakes mess. Just when we thought Enzo Maresca had finally stabilized the ship—winning the Conference League and even a Club World Cup—the board pulled the rug out.
On New Year's Day 2026, Maresca was gone. Enter Liam Rosenior.
Yes, the former Hull City and Strasbourg boss is now the man picking the XI at Stamford Bridge. He’s basically inherited a Ferrari with fifty different engines in the garage and has to figure out which four actually make the thing go forward. His first real test just happened against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final, and it tells us everything we need to know about where this squad is heading.
The Rosenior Shakeup: No More Inverting Everything?
Maresca was obsessed with the "box" midfield. You’ve seen it: Marc Cucurella tucking in, the constant search for the "third man," and a pace that sometimes felt like watching grass grow in slow motion. Rosenior is different. He’s keeping some of the positional play, but he wants intensity. He wants his players to actually, you know, run.
In his debut games this January, we’ve seen a shift toward a more flexible 4-2-3-1 that looks like a 3-2-5 when they have the ball. But here’s the kicker: the personnel is changing. Fast.
Take the Arsenal match on January 14. Chelsea lost 3-2, but the line up of Chelsea featured names that would have been benchwarmers six months ago. We’re talking about Josh Acheampong starting at right-back and Andrey Santos anchoring the midfield next to Enzo Fernandez.
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Why the Big Names are Missing
You might be asking where Cole Palmer is. Or Reece James. Or Malo Gusto.
The reality is that Chelsea’s medical room is currently more crowded than the local Sainsbury's on a Saturday morning. Palmer is nursing a minor thigh strain. Rosenior basically said he’d rather lose a cup game than lose Palmer for six weeks. Smart move? Probably. But it means the line up of Chelsea feels experimental every single week.
Reece James is out with a hip knock. Again. It’s getting hard to watch at this point. When he plays, he’s been used in a bizarre hybrid midfield role, spreading play like a quarterback. When he’s out, the whole structure feels a bit flimsy.
Breaking Down the "New" Chelsea XI
If you’re looking at the strongest possible line up of Chelsea for the rest of 2026, it probably looks something like this:
Robert Sanchez is the undisputed number one. Sorry, Filip Jorgensen fans, but Sanchez has the shirt for the big games. He’s playing higher up the pitch now, almost acting like a third center-back during build-up. It’s risky, but Rosenior loves a ball-playing keeper.
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The defense is where it gets weird. Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill are the preferred pair, assuming Fofana’s knees hold up. But look out for Jorrel Hato. The kid is a freak of nature. He can play left-back or center-back, and he’s already putting pressure on Cucurella for that starting spot.
In the middle, it’s all about balance.
- Enzo Fernandez: The captain. The metronome.
- Moises Caicedo: The engine. (Though he missed the Arsenal game due to suspension).
- Andrey Santos: The wildcard who has finally fought his way into the rotation after those loan spells.
The Attack: A Brazilian Revolution?
The most exciting part of the current line up of Chelsea is the youth on the wings. We aren't talking about "prospects" anymore; these guys are the reality. Estevao Willian is officially here and he’s terrifying. On the other side, you’ve got Jamie Gittens, who was a £55 million arrival from Dortmund last summer. Gittens is a dribbling machine—none of that "pass it back to the fullback" nonsense we saw from Jadon Sancho.
Then there’s the striker situation. Nicolas Jackson? He was shipped off in the summer of 2025. Now, it's a battle between Joao Pedro (the £60m man from Brighton) and Liam Delap.
Honestly, Joao Pedro feels like the first choice for now. He’s got that "it" factor. He scored three at the Club World Cup and just seems to fit the fluid style Rosenior wants. Delap is the "Plan B"—a physical powerhouse who can bully defenders.
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The January Transfer Ghost
Despite the coaching change, don't expect a spending spree this winter. The word from Cobham is that there won't be any permanent signings this January. The squad is already massive. Rosenior’s job isn't to buy; it’s to trim the fat.
There are rumors about Victor Osimhen—there always are—but unless Galatasaray wants to do a crazy deal, it’s not happening yet. John Obi Mikel is still on Sky Sports every week begging the club to sign him, but for now, we're sticking with the Joao Pedro and Delap experiment.
Actionable Insights for Chelsea Fans
If you’re trying to predict the line up of Chelsea for the next few weeks, here’s the cheat sheet:
- Monitor the "Illness" Bug: Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap both missed the Arsenal game with high temperatures. They should be back for the Brentford match this weekend.
- The Palmer Factor: If Cole Palmer is fit, he plays. Usually as the "10," but he’s been drifting right to let Estevao cut inside.
- Watch the Fullbacks: If Acheampong keeps playing this well, Malo Gusto might find it hard to get his spot back immediately once he's healthy.
- The Second Leg: Mark your calendars for early February. That’s the return leg against Arsenal at the Emirates. Expect Rosenior to go "full strength," which hopefully means Palmer and Caicedo are back in the heart of the team.
The Rosenior era is only a few weeks old, but the identity is already shifting. It’s less about control and more about chaos—the good kind of chaos. Whether that translates to a trophy at Wembley in March remains to be seen, but the line up of Chelsea has never been more unpredictable or more talented.