At the moment, Chelsea's squad is an over-bloated mess.
The Blues have made a habit out of dominating transfer windows under Todd Boehly, who has sanctioned no fewer than 35 signings in the last two years. With just six days to go before their Premier League opener against Manchester City, manager Enzo Maresca has an eye-watering 46 players at his disposal - and will have 47 if Joao Felix, who has been linked with a shock return to Stamford Bridge this week, arrives.
Obviously, that number will be whittled down before the end of the month, with players likely to be sold, loaned out and chucked into the reserve squad. But the absolutely maddening size of Chelsea's squad got us thinking: how many different starting line-ups could they conceivably field?
As it turns out, the answer is four. Four! So without further ado, allow Mirror Football to run through them all. Deep breaths, everyone!
Line-up No. 1
Precisely what Chelsea's regular starting line-up will look like this season is anyone's guess, but we reckon we've got a rough idea. Maresca has predominantly used a 3-2-4-1 formation in pre-season, with one of the full-backs inverting to create a four-man box in midfield.
With that in mind, we suspect £20million summer signing Filip Jorgensen to get the nod between the sticks, given his ball-playing prowess. At the back, providing everyone's fit, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella are likely to start.
In midfield, Reece James, who, in this instance will act as an inverted right-back, partners Enzo Fernandez, who will operate as the team's creative No. 6, while the two No. 8s ahead of them are Moises Caicedo, who has looked good in the role out in the US, and Cole Palmer.
Up front, blockbuster arrival Pedro Neto stars on the right side, with Christopher Nkunku on the left. Nicolas Jackson, meanwhile, gets the nod in the No. 9 slot.
Line-up No. 2
Every single player in line-up No. 1 is expected to play a key role in Maresca's plans this season. And to demonstrate the ridiculous levels of depth in Chelsea's squad right now, the same can be said for just about everyone in line-up No. 2.
In goal we have Robert Sanchez, who could very well start the campaign as Chelsea's first-choice keeper. In front of him is a back three of Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile, all of whom could conceivably secure regular starting berths in Maresca's side.
At the base of the midfield we have Malo Gusto who, like James in line-up No. 1, will act as an inverted right-back, alongside Romeo Lavia, who played just 30 minutes of football last season due to a succession of injuries. Beyond those two are Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who act as the two No. 8s.
In attack, Mykhailo Mudryk starts on the left, and Joao Felix, if he does indeed end up signing, is on the right. Marc Guiu, who has looked promising in pre-season, is in at No. 9.
Line-up No. 3
Remarkably, Chelsea's third possible line-up still contains several players we expect will play a big part in Maresca's team going forward. That said, Dorde Petrovic, who's between the sticks in this team, isn't one of them.
Ahead of the Serbian shot-stopper is Ben Chilwell, who's looking like something of a square peg in Maresca's round hold setup, Trevoh Chalobah, who at the time of writing has been banished to the reserves, and youngster Bashir Humphreys.
In midfield, we have summer signing Renato Veiga, who has experience playing as both a defender and a midfielder, acting as an inverted left-back alongside Lesley Ugochukwu, who scored Chelsea's equaliser against Inter Milan on Sunday. Conor Gallagher is technically still on Chelsea's books, so he's in at No. 8 alongside Cesare Casadei.
At left wing, we have Raheem Sterling, while Noni Madueke is on the right. Armando Broja, who, like Chalobah, has been forced to train with the reserves, is up top.
Line-up No. 4
We're in the weeds a little here, but by getting creative we've unearthed a fourth line-up at Maresca's disposal. In goal is Marcus Bettinelli, while youngsters Zak Surge, Josh Acheampong and Harrison Murray-Campbell are ahead of him in defence.
In midfield we've partnered Tino Anjorin with Leo Castledine, who made his senior debut in the EFL Cup last year, and ahead of them in the two No. 8 slots are summer signing from Aston Villa Omari Kellyman, and Tyrique George.
Up top, we have Romelu Lukaku (remember him?), with promising Brazilian duo Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel beside him on the wings.
After all of that, we still had to leave out Kepa Arrizabalaga and David Datro Fofana, and we haven't even mentioned the various senior squad stars Chelsea have out on loan right now like Andrey Santos and Alfie Gilchrist.
Then there's the likes of Kendry Paez, Willian Estevao, Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley, who will join up with the squad in 2025. Yikes.
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