Why De Bruyne MUST Be Unleashed Against Sunderland Tonight

Jose Mourinho will be rallying his troops as we speak ahead of tonight's clash between Sunderland and Chelsea in order for them to pick up their third win on the spin and close the gap between themselves and leaders Arsenal. But coming up against a side sat bottom of the table with nine losses in 13, I am putting my case forward for the Blues boss to unleash Kevin de Bruyne.

The Belgium international has struggled to get a foothold back in the Chelsea side since he returned from his season-long loan spell at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen and has been rumoured to be leaving Stamford Bridge in January. In my mind, that simply cannot happen, as his potential is incredible.

Tonight represents the chance to show what he can do, especially as Oscar has been ruled out of the game.

Last season De Bruyne scored 10 goals and claimed 11 assists in the German topflight, which gave us a glimpse of what he's really about. He can play on either flank, thus providing Mourinho with a variety of options, and can operate just behind the main striker.

If deployed tonight, then his movement, his skill and the speed at which he does things would certainly be too much for the flimsy-looking backline.