One Chelsea player has been warned by Pochettino to find a way out of the team by the summer, failing which he will be treated similarly to Aubameyang. Pochettino stated, “He should leave this Club now. I don’t like lazy players that don’t want to improve.”
“I’m really disappointed in him, Disasi.”
“After nine months? When asked if he has been able to field his “best” Chelsea team during his tenure, Mauricio Pochettino responded last week in a brutally honest manner, saying, “You know the answer.”
The Blues have had a lot of injury issues this season; although things are looking up a little, many important players are still out. Currently sidelined due to injury are Christopher Nkunku, Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, and Lesley Ugochukwu.
It appears as though Chelsea has had at least six players out with injuries at every point of the season. The Blues were expected to have a deep roster after spending £1 billion in recent transfer windows, but Pochettino has found that to be difficult due to the state of the medical room.
Many of those players have also been absent for an extended period of time; Fofana missed the entire season due to an ACL rupture. In his first season as the team captain, James has only made nine appearances this season, totaling less than 500 minutes.
Nkunku has had a difficult first season at the team, appearing in just 10 games across all competitions due to three different injury issues. Both Ugochukwu and Badiashile have been in and out of the team due to multiple muscular injuries.
Similar to Nkunku, Lavia has had an awful first season at Chelsea. The summer transfer from Southampton to Chelsea saw the Belgium international play just 40 minutes against Crystal Palace in December before he was sidelined again.
It has proven difficult for Pochettino to work with multiple players at once. Lack of options has made the head coach of the Blues, who is already facing tremendous pressure from the team’s supporters, feel even more helpless in an extremely challenging role.
But before he can field his strongest possible lineup, how many players must he bring back? Bobby Vincent expresses his ideas.
At the weekend, goalkeeper Pochettino expressed his opinions on the situation in no uncertain terms. After recovering from a knee injury, Robert Sanchez is now available and fit, but Pochettino started Djordje Petrovic in goal for the draw at Brentford.
After Sanchez’s injury, the Serbian goalie was brought into the team and performed admirably. Sanchez was Pochettino’s first-choice choice before his knee injury, but it appears that things have changed.
defense
In James’ absence, Malo Gusto has excelled. Considering that the French right-back is only 20 years old and is playing in his first season in a new league and nation, his all-around skill is quite impressive.
When James is healthy, though, he’s among the best right-backs in world football; the problem is, he’s rarely healthy. The England international, though, underwent hamstring surgery in December and is optimistic that the procedure will be able to address his chronic muscle injuries.
Despite having played more minutes in a Chelsea shirt than any other player this season—just under 3,500 across all competitions—there is still uncertainty about whether Axel Disasi will be included in Pochettino’s “best-possible” lineup. Due to a severe knee injury he sustained in the summer, Fofana has not yet participated in a game under Pochettino. Furthermore, it doesn’t appear that he will this season.
Pochettino stated last week on Fofana, “Unfortunately, I think it is difficult to see him [play this season].” “But you never know,” I said.
With a Chelsea shirt on, Fofana has so much more to give. He is one of the most highly-rated young defenders in European football, but we have only really seen glimpses of his undeniable talent since he moved from Leicester City for about £70 million in the summer of 2022.
Levi Colwill, a left-footed player, should ideally be next to Fofana to provide excellent balance for the back four. Colwill has played left back for the majority of the season, but because Thiago Silva has been healthy, he has been used more centrally lately.
Colwill’s season has not gone well despite his return from an outstanding Brighton loan last year. However, the England international is a gifted player who seems destined to be a mainstay in the Blues’ defense for many years to come.
The obvious choice for left back is Ben Chilwell, despite the fact that many Chelsea fans hold their vice captain in the highest regard. But Chilwell is by far the best option the club has at its disposal, in my opinion.
Due to his lack of playing time this season, it is difficult to determine whether midfielder Lavia fits into Chelsea’s “best-possible lineup” at this time. The club’s two most expensive acquisitions, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, have also shown promise in developing a strong midfield partnership, though they still need to be more reliable.
There are choices there, such as Chukwuemeka and Ugochukwu. While Ugochukwu appears to require more playing time before we can properly assess him, Chukwuemeka appears more suited for a more offensive role.
This season, Conor Gallagher has been utilized frequently as a No. 10, and the 24-year-old has excelled in recent weeks in particular. In a different setup, however, Gallagher might be dropped back a little bit deeper in a midfield three to accommodate most of the players. Caicedo is the deepest of the three, with Enzo on one side and Gallagher on the other.
Without a doubt, attack Cole Palmer is included in this lineup. Although he has excelled in the middle for the Blues this season, he is frequently used from the right side. He could be nearer his attacking teammates in a 4-3-2-1 formation, which is essentially the middle ground between being on the right and in the center.
You want Nkunku to be as close to the goal as possible because he is an expert finisher, as demonstrated by his brief time on the field. Additionally, there are indications that he already has a close relationship with Nicolas Jackson.
No. 9 would be Jackson. Despite receiving harsh criticism from all sides this season, he has scored 11 goals in his first season in England. In the grand scheme of things, that return is actually not too bad.
Of course, Jackson still has a lot to learn at the age of 22, but even at that age, he is incredibly impressionable. Palmer, Nkunku, and Jackson in a front-three could be the best lineup choice, leaving Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke as dangerous bench options.
Dream Chelsea lineup (4-3-2-1): Palmer (£42.5m), Nkunku (£52m), Jackson (£30m); Caicedo (£115m), Enzo (£106m), Gallagher (free); Petrovic (£14m); James (free), Fofana (£70m), Colwill (free), Chilwell (£50m); – total cost: approximately £480m.
