Dugout Discussion

Pulisic returns to Chelsea starting XI as Ziyech and James named on bench

The second of four Premier League matches to take place on Saturday sees Chelsea entertain Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

Christian Pulisic makes his long-awaited first start of 2020/21, following his second-half cameo in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Hakim Ziyech also makes the Chelsea squad for the first time but, as Frank Lampard warned us yesterday, the Moroccan is only fit enough for a place on the bench.

Summer signing Edouard Mendy misses out after suffering an injury on international duty, so Kepa Arrizabalaga is recalled between the posts.

There are four changes in all for the Blues from their last Premier League game, with Andreas Christensen and Mason Mount recalled.

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham make way, while Thiago Silva isn’t involved after a late return from South America in midweek.

Southampton make two changes from the side that beat West Brom 2-0 a fortnight ago, both of which are enforced.

Theo Walcott is handed his second Saints debut after his loan move from Everton, with Nathan Redmond also coming in.

The unavailable Stuart Armstrong and Moussa Djenepo miss out.

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Chilwell; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Havertz, Pulisic; Werner.

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Walcott, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond; Adams, Ings.

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1,475 Comments Post a Comment
  1. badgerboy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    The annual Wally wagon is leaving the station! All aboard!

  2. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Walcott essential now?

    1. Alexis Nonsense
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Never been, never will be

  3. Magic Zico
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    How many saves Kepa have ever made?

    1. Utopsis
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      -4

  4. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Kepa really is gash

  5. Bushwhacker
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Lol the Chelsea.

  6. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Imagine...

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Imagine?

    2. tiger
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      no possessions

    3. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      all the people...

    4. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Having Reece James blocking Robbo...

    5. Zimo
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Dragons?

    6. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      All the people ....

    7. Pep bites Kun
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      The melody was good, but the lyrics were written before breakfast

  7. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Only the 10 goals from the 2 games then...quiet weekend

    1. Chirsbom
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      I dont want to have any defenders nor keepers with this madness going on.

    2. Railwayman
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      They say it won't continue like this...

  8. CloudSky
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 5 months ago

    Lamps can't get a win even against a team that plays high line, the best possible tactic to play against for Chelsea. 200 mil down the drain. Him and Ole aren't good enough to lace the boots of Nuno, much less the likes of Don Carlo or Klopp.

    1. Grounderz
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Where is patience these days.

      1. zotter
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        But it’s true though ...

        1. Grounderz
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Should your boss continue to give you opportunities?

          1. zotter
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            It’s true .... what has he displayed to show anything like the ability of the other three managers there

          2. CloudSky
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            If your shite at what you do, obviously no?

    2. FPL.team
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Goodness me.

    3. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Lamps is learning ... Ole never will.

      1. Mambino
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        had a better season than him last season

    4. Railwayman
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Lampard can't defend, which is weird because he played under Mourinho and that will cost him his job soon enough. No trophies for Chelsea as him being the manager.

    5. Mambino
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      leave Ole out of this

  9. Party time
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Bruno to Walcott done

    • WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Vestergaard goal?!

    • Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Kepa surely the worst keeper in PL history considering the amount of games he's played?

      1. diesel001
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Taibi?

        1. Brosstan
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Taibi only played like 5 games. There's plenty f keepers who have been bad and instantly dropped. Kepa has been awful for over two seasons

      2. MSTRKRFTSMN
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Worst value for sure. But there have been some shockers. Taibi?

        1. Random Name
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Behave. Taibi was a brought in as 3rd choice and thrown in the deep end. Yes he made errors but won MOTM in one of the 4 games he played

          Kepa has 200+ apps in europes top 5 leagyes

      3. Revival
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        World record transfer fee for a keeper and they signed him to a 7 year deal.

      4. Random Name
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Kepa is the worst keeper i've ever had the pleasure of watching in the premier league

        Yes. Pleasure.

      5. Tasty Jerk
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        At £70m I would agree. What a waste of money.

    • dshv
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      KDB to

      1. sterling
      2. Start Wc and bring aguero?

      1. Scholes Out For Summer
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        watch the game first??

    • Tasty Jerk
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 5 months ago

      Kepa £70million / Slabhead Maguire £80m - just goes to show there are so many expensive hoax players out there stealing a living.

      1. Simon69
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        What did Palace quote Zaha at? 80m? Lollllllllll

      2. @persecuted_by_mods
          3 years, 5 months ago

          They don't choose their price, Maguire was part of a defense that finished 3rd and was statistically decent for clean sheets

          1. Piggs Boson
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Maguire works well in a low block imo. I'm not sure he has the pace for a high line.

            He was Pep's main target last season though, by his own admission, so I must be missing something...

            1. CloudSky
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Pep bought like one good defender in his half a billion defender shopping spree, so probably not missing much.

      3. Twisted Saltergater
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 5 months ago

        Walcott to score vs Everton next week 🙂

        1. Party time
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Surely

        2. TomSaints
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Pre wildcard team 42 points from 6. Werner and Adams starting

          Post wildcard team 23 from 4, but all players returned something.

          Very confused so far

        3. ivantys
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Chillwell and Ings share 1 bonus each?

        4. Digital-Real
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          Any chance Podence doesn't play?

          1. Klaren
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Might not start but unlikely not to play at all if fit.

          2. Bushwhacker
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Depends on all the COVID tests doesn’t it?

          3. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Very good chance he won't start unfortunately but he will play minutes

        5. AD2110
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 5 months ago

          How did Pulisic and Chilwell look?

          1. Esalman
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Chilwell decent but not touching Pulisic now.

            1. zotter
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              I would add chilwell decent attacking wise but part of a hellhole of a defence

          2. Bushwhacker
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Fine. Pulisic first game back assisted the assister ..

          3. Party time
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Pulisic was no where to be found

          4. CloudSky
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Courtois averages the same amount of saves for Madrid per game as Kepa does for Chelsea per season. Talk about a costly downgrade.

            1. Bushwhacker
              • 4 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Courtois was playing just like Kepa is at Chelsea. Confidence.

              1. CloudSky
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 5 months ago

                Same thing was happening in his first season with Madrid, when he was really poor. He calmed down, talked to Zizou and was probably the most important player for Madrid in La Liga conquest. Continuing to be the best player this season also, saving countless of shots and chances that had no right to be saved.

          5. mgilbert86
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Hmm, exact funds to do KDB + Richarlison -> Son + Aguero

          6. Differentiator
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            VAR referees are ferking shambolic. Need robots to examine the VAR footage itself

            Most blatant ever handball for Werner's first touch for his second goal....

            https://twitter.com/Big_Papa_Herb/status/1317484141621948417/photo/1

            WTF

            1. Twisted Saltergater
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              I saw that on the replay and didn't understand why a handball wasn't given.

            2. HenrikFPL
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Ridiculous.

          7. Zimo
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Auba starting up front?

            1. Make United Great Again
              • 11 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Yeah 433

          8. aborg
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Chilwell getting his bonus point ?

            1. Gudjohnsen
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              I also want to know this

          9. Ha.
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Good couple of results for the sake of the league

          10. Steve The Spud
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Could do with foden delivering something for a change

            1. Hazz
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              This. Let me have one win...

            2. Nomar
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Mahrez for me.

          11. have you seen cyan
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Werner owns finally laughing

            1. Nomar
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Good for them considering what he's probably done for their ranking the last 4 weeks.

            2. Mambino
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              does someone still own him?

            3. Random Name
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Laughing about what? There's 10 strikers with more points than him and 8 of them are less expensive

            4. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Laughing from below

          12. Magic Zico
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Kepa to play v MUN next week? Punishment for Bruno's sellers?

            1. Hazz
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Nope. Mendy apparently close to ready. If not fit for Sevilla, he'll be back for United. Same for Silva.

          13. Manani
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            don't really think is Kepa fault for the last goal? 2nd goal (and maybe 1st) but surely not the last one

            1. zotter
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Not at all. Just the second one.

            2. Hazz
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              Touched took it way from him. Positioning could have been a tad better.

              1st not his fault. 2nd 50/50 between him and Zouma.

              Needs to get out of the XI. Drops the whole team's confidence level.

          14. Make United Great Again
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Loool what is the point of expensive defenders??

            We’ll be relying on them to get hatrick’s for decent returns at this rate

          15. Grounderz
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 5 months ago

            Folks.

            1) What's Foden's main position?
            2) What position did he mostly play when he won the World Cup U-17?

            1. MSTRKRFTSMN
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 5 months ago

              1) doesn’t have one yet - plays vaguely centrally in general 2) Number 8 attacking centre mid

              1. Grounderz
                • 12 Years
                3 years, 5 months ago

                Cheers.