Di Matteo to stick with 4-2-3-1 until end of season?

Two things stood out for me last night with Roberto Di Matteo's team selection. First of all it was our formation. With Mikel brought back into the side RDM adopted the 4-2-3-1 formation with Raul Meireles playing next to him and both had good games.

Second of all, the fact that Juan Mata was brought into the middle behind Torres and more or less given licence to roam in a similar role to David Silva. We have been crying out for that to happen all season and after last night, I wonder if this is the way forward now until the end of the season.

I know he is still one of the most frustrating players there is, but Salomon Kalou who quite literally was stuck out in the cold under AVB provides us with another option out wide. He IS unpredictable and CAN beat his man and create something out of nothing and gives RDM a different option wide which will allow Mata to come inside.

Mikel has his critics, but you cannot fault or argue his defensive qualities. When he plays in the holding role by himself, the role asks him to win the ball and get it forward quickly to start our attacks, the problem is he slows the game down.

With someone playing next to him in the deeper role whether it is Meireles, Essien or Frank Lampard, Mikel's job would be to just shut up shop in front of the back four, win the ball and give it to someone else. How many times last night did we see him release the ball to Meireles to create something from deep?.

The thing is, with the likes of Mikel and Kalou back in the fold now under RDM, he has plenty of options to rotate players in each position. I still believe that we need to stick with our strongest eleven there is on paper and to make it stick between now and the end of the season but that was based on a 4-3-3 formation.

I just wonder if we will see Juan Mata in a permanent position in behind the striker now and no longer out wide. Mata could the key in making RDM's 4-2-3-1 work.

KTBFFH

Check out my blog posts on the Official Chelsea Website - http://bit.ly/mRUOqw
Follow me and my blog on Twitter - http://bit.ly/gP9Dwt
Follow the blog on Facebook - http://www.blogger.com/htCheck%20out%20tp://on.fb.me/i5OTbj
Grab my RSS Feed - http://bit.ly/ijgiIT
Sign up to my email updates - http://bit.ly/eTEVrt
My YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/giLSqr
Grab your Chelsea FC Fan App on Android.
Grab your KTBFFH True Blue app for IPHONE/IPAD here.