The teams for Chelsea’s game against West Ham are out, and there are some interesting things to note.
In the attacking line Jadon Sancho makes his first start for Chelsea, replacing Pedro Neto. That was probably to be expected, given how well Sancho played in the second half last week.
In defence, Wesley Fofana is shifted to the right, with Tosin Adarabioyo coming in to replace him centrally and Axel Disasi dropping out. This also mirrors what we saw towards the end last week.
There’s one disappointing absence though – Romeo Lavia. We were assured his problem, picked up at the end of August, was “minor”, but it’s a month and counting at this point.
It’s a grim way to start the season given the events of last season. Lavia was continually predicted to be close to a return, but suffered constant setbacks and was eventually shut down for the season after one short cameo.
That was a sensible decision to give him a fresh start this year – but it’s not going much better for him so far.