It is two wins from two for Chelsea following their players’ return from the international break.

On Saturday, Xabi Alonso’s side beat Everton 2-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, which followed their 5-1 victory over Bournemouth. They have undoubtedly had an upturn in form after losing 3-0 to Brentford last month.

With Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson in the middle, Alonso seems to have stumbled across a winning formula. It would be risky to start tweaking things now.

In fact, there is one change that the Spaniard would have to be crazy to make as Chelsea prepare to take on Tottenham Hotspur next.

Xabi Alonso should not bring Malo Gusto back into fold

The Everton and Bournemouth wins were probably Chelsea’s two best performances of the season, or at least their two most complete. What did they have in common? Malo Gusto did not start in either of them.

Pedro Neto has been hailed as an 'unsung hero' for Chelsea. Who else in Xabi Alonso's team is UNDERRATED?!

Gusto missed the trip to Everton on Saturday because of illness and only played two minutes against Bournemouth after coming on late in the second half. It is not a coincidence that arguably Chelsea’s two best performances have come with Gusto out of the starting XI.

Alonso has not really found the right role for him this term. Gusto has struggled in midfield, while his defending from the right wing-back position has been far from convincing.

To be frank, Gusto was a bit of a weak link in the games he did start. It does not mean the 23-year-old is a bad player, but trying to adapt to playing as an inverted full-back last season and midfielder this term has not been easy.

Gusto’s best run of form came in the 2023/24 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, where he was used as a more traditional full-back. The Frenchman was great going forward and his one-v-one defending was up to the required standard. However, we have not seen that in recent months, especially under Alonso.

There is a bit of doubt surrounding Gusto’s future right now. What Chelsea do with the France international once the January transfer window opens remains to be seen.

What is clear, though, is Gusto should not start in midfield ever again. It is not something Chelsea supporters want to see, especially in a huge game like the one against Tottenham on Saturday.