Three players who won’t benefit from Mauricio Pochettino’s system at Chelsea
We’re now nearing one year since the Todd Boehly-led consortium completed a £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea, bringing an end to the most glorious era the club has ever seen.
Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea side was chaotic yet charismatic, incalculable yet irresistible, and most of all, winners in every sense of the word.
“They should go back to the principles and values they had. I no longer recognise my club,” conceded Didier Drogba, lamenting the team’s directionless approach on and off the pitch – mostly off it.
Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and co. decided to give Thomas Tuchel 100 days and fired him for non-footballing reasons, a move which has largely backfired.
As the season draws to a close, Chelsea are nowhere near the top half of the Premier League table. Moreover, they were never in the mix to land a trophy like they usually did under the previous regime irrespective of how adverse the hardships were.
This Chelsea squad is inconsistent from top to bottom, almost unrecognizable to some of the fans. The squad is as inflated as ever, key players aren’t being offered contracts and the team has seen four different managers take charge this season.
Mauricio Pochettino, a highly regarded manager and tactician, is about to be handed the keys to possibly the most high pressure job in club football. The Argentine mastermind is tasked with embracing the chaos and turning the Blues into a strong European force once again, with all of it appearing a bridge too far at present.
While Pochettino’s traits kindle promise for the near future, reconstructing the squad is an absolute must if they’re to make a serious push closer to the summit of the Premier League.
This Chelsea unit is an amalgamation of the ideological remains of previous managers, and Pochettino will have to build a team suited to his style, or one that brings the best out of the current group of players.
On that note, we look at three players who are unlikely to benefit from Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.
#1 Marc Cucurella
The Blues shelled out in excess of £60 million to pry Marc Cucurella away from Brighton and Hove Albion, joining the bidding war with Manchester City out of nowhere.
A full-back duo of Ben Chilwell and Cucurella on paper makes for a great pair with distinct characteristics. While Chilwell has been injured for the most part, the latter has yet to find his feet.
In hindsight, this piece of business, like many others, looks ordinary. Cucurella has found himself in awkward places many times this season and subsequently been in and out of the lineup.
Academy starlet Lewis Hall has pipped the Spaniard in the pecking order and shown plenty of energy down the left-hand side.
Having shown no signs of settlement in West London, Cucurella could be phased out of the team in the coming season, especially if Chelsea scan the market for a full-back.
Very seldom does Pochettino play with a five-man defense either, therefore, it’s difficult to see Cucurella playing a key role under the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss.
#2 Mykhailo Mudryk
Mykhailo Mudryk is the one of the many newcomers tied to a long-term contract at Chelsea. He also happens to be one of those poached by the management after being linked with another club; Arsenal being the case this time.
The Ukrainian starred for Shakhtar Donetsk both domestically and in Europe. Ahead of his potentially career-defining move to Chelsea, Mudryk scored 10 goals. However he’s yet to find the back of the net in either Premier League or Champions League in 2022-23.
The Blues fanbase has seen flashes of his frightening pace and skill, but Mudryk is a player currently short on confidence. His first half against Manchester United sums up every bit of that – rigid and indecisive with his touch, uninspiring with his dribbling and the less spoken about the finishing, the better.
The talent is raw, and while Pochettino could be the man to polish it, his aggressive, physical demands at the top of the pitch out of possession could be too hot to handle for the inexperienced Mudryk.
The Ukrainian Footballer of the Year has the makings of a superstar, but needs time and a more settled team for him to fully tap into his potential.
#3 Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly, a seasoned performer for Napoli and Senegal, was captured on a four-year deal in July last year to replace the outstanding Antonio Rudiger.
Almost a year on, it’s fair to say the 31-year-old has been a more noticeable weak link than the others. He’s been on the end of numerous errors at the back, and simply hasn’t adjusted to the pace of English football.
Pochettino loves to create his teams with young defenders supported by experienced goalkeepers and not more than one veteran centre-half.
With Thiago Silva set to extend his stay for another year, and the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and the returning Levi Colwill – all under 24 – completing a fantastic centre-back roster, Koulibaly might not be the most preferred option for Pochettino, even if he were to fight for his place.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
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