Saturday’s pre-season result of the day was Reading’s 2-2 draw with Ancelotti’s Chelsea. Reading were holding a 2-0 scoreline with two minutes to go but were denied by Salomon Kalou and an injury time own goal.
There could be no excuses for Chelsea. Ancelotti fielded a very strong side at the Madejski – perhaps even the same eleven that will start against United in the Community Shield next weekend. However, neither Ancelotti or Chelsea’s fantasy fanciers will be panicking at the result or performance.
Pre-season already appears to have assured the Chelsea boss that he has the players and formation to challenge for the title, while fantasy managers can take comfort in the Italian’s team selection which has consistently offered us major clues prior to the season kick-off…
Ancelotti’s lineup yesterday is again worthy of close examination. Interestingly, Ivanovic was preferred to Bosingwa at right-back, while Carvalho was kept alongside Terry ,with Alex benched. We again saw the diamond in midfield with Mikel providing the defensive cover and Essien and Deco playing either side with Lampard at the sharp end. He supported Anelka and Drogba up front.
Significantly, Bosingwa, Alex and Malouda – all likely fantasy targets, found themselves utilised as second-half substitutes. Clearly Aneclotti had these three on his mind when it came to naming his starting lineup and turned to all three to pep up Chelsea as they faced a 2-0 deficit. Perhaps Sunday’s lineup will include one or more as a result. Regardless, all three have a very definite risk hanging over them as fantasy selections right now.
Deco and Ivanovic, in contrast, could offer some short-term value if they turn out against United next Sunday. Again though, long-term, they will carry the threat of rotation, as will Carvalho at the back.
As for the diamond system, that’s clearly here to stay – Ancelotti again expressed his desire to stick with his pre-season formation even though it failed to make an impact for long periods against Reading.
The key to this ploy appears to be the point of the diamond, with Ancelotti clearly revelling in the options he has in this role.
“Chelsea can play Lampard, Deco and also we can play Joe Cole, he has the quality to play behind the striker and maybe also Kalou.”
Lampard is the big factor here – particularly for us fantasy managers. His impact in support of the strikers cannot be questioned and already this looks set to be another big fantasy points scoring season for him, with Ancelotti’s tactics set to lend a major helping hand.
“Lampard can play on the left and he can play offensive midfielder. I want to try this because I like games where he is in this position.”
Going into Sunday’s Community Shield then, it seems clear that fantasy managers are likely to have to spend heavily in order to profit regularly from Chelsea’s season. The likes of Cech, Terry, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba and possibly Essien, look again to be the safest, and certainly the most profitable options in Ancelotti’s squad. Outside of that selection, the risk of rotation appears to be rife.