Jose Mourinho will consider starting centre-back Kurt Zouma out of position rather than risk £14million summer signing Baba Rahman for Chelsea's crucial clash against Aston Villa.
Usual right-back Branislav Ivanovic has been ruled out for the next three weeks after picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty for Serbia.
Along with Cesar Azpilicueta, a right-back who has spent the last 18 months on the left, the only other full back in the first-team is Baba Rahman, the 21-year-old Ghanaian who was bought from Augsburg at the end of August. With Ivanovic out, the obvious switch would be to move the Spaniard back to the right and bring in Rahman on the left.
But with Chelsea struggling in 16th position in the Premier League, Mourinho may not risk the youngster, who has only played against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Walsall, for the must-win game at Stamford Bridge, instead keeping Azpilicueta on the left and playing the powerful Kurt Zouma at right-back, where he has played on occasion previously.
Kurt Zouma is already pushing for a place in the middle
There were calls from Chelsea supporters and critics to drop Ivanovic from the team after a desperate start to the season that has seen his form collapse. The best right-back in the division last season, where he was named to the PFA Team of the Year, Ivanovic has been awful in eight matches this season, with particularly bad performances against Swansea City, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Everton and Southampton.
But when asked why Rahman was yet to come in for the Serbian, Mourinho said he was not yet ready, while Chelsea would be "dead" on set-pieces without Ivanovic.
"Baba Rahman arrived in the last day (of the transfer window) and he doesn’t know what it is to play in this kind of championship. He had no pre-season with us. He needs time to learn and adapt," said Mourinho after the Southampton defeat.
"At the same time, every team except Maccabi Tel Aviv is a team of giants. If you don’t have a minimum of five tall players good in the air, you are dead on set-pieces. When I play Azpilicueta on the right and Baba on the left, I have only three. So we have to think about all the details."
Zouma, 20, is already pushing John Terry and Gary Cahill for a starting spot in the middle and has exceeded expectations in his first seasons with the Blues.
His pace, strength and athleticism make him a versatile player - he has played in midfield and at both full-back positions for the Blues - while the aerial threat of Rudy Gestede could mean Mourinho wants additional height in the team.
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