Recovering from their worst season in 30 years was never going to be easy, but Chelsea appear to be starting on the right track.
They have been overcome by a curious case of good vibes, where players have been seen smiling and joking with each other and new manager Mauricio Pochettino, a disconcerting lurch from the funereal Frank Lampard era.
After a 5-0 win over Wrexham and a 4-3 ding-dong victory over fellow Premier League side Brighton, fans are already somewhere between quietly optimistic and irresponsibly carried away on the pre-season confidence scale.
While there is still work to do to repair this once-shockingly dysfunctional squad, some players have already started making their cases for a starting berth.
Here are six players who may become crucial to the new Chelsea, and three areas of Pochettino’s squad that need to be addressed before the summer transfer window shuts.
Mykhailo Mudryk
There was a serious possibility that the first six months of Mykhailo Mudryk’s Chelsea career were so catastrophic the young Ukrainian may never recover. Bar a few minorly threatening runs and one assist under Lampard, the player Roberto De Zerbi was once sure would win a Ballon D’Or was not fit to lace Marko Marin’s boots.
Yet the good vibes regime may have come to his rescue, if his first 45 minutes of pre-season against 10-man Brighton are anything to go by. He ran with intent and played with intelligence, scoring a slick goal which probably wouldn’t have been possible against a sharper defence, but at least indicated he was on the right path.
A much smaller squad and time have allowed Pochettino to help reinvigorate this squad’s confidence, and early signs suggest Mudryk may be a key beneficiary.
Andrey Santos
For a man who’s only just been able to get a work permit to play in England, talk of being the answer to Chelsea’s midfield crisis may be premature, but Andrey Santos is showing all the right signs.
After signing in January, the 19-year-old spent the first six months of his Blues career back at Vasco da Gama, but now looks set to break permanently into the first team.
Santos was rewarded for captaining Brazil’s U20 side to a South American Championship with his first international call-up in March, starting in a 2-1 loss to Morocco, underlining both his potential and current quality.
For a player with just six appearances in the Brazilian top flight, Santos plays with incredible maturity and efficiency and has controlled the midfield in his two pre-season appearances so far.
Given the paucity of other options at the club, Santos looks the most assured of the three young central midfielders at Chelsea and the most likely to command a starting berth.
Levi Colwill
This isn’t a secret, but Levi Colwill is very good. He’s exceedingly, shockingly good, and only getting better.
Pochettino reckons he will become the best English centre-back; A lack of outstanding competition, bar John Stones, who has moved into midfield at club level in any case, suggests he may already be nearly there.
At the beginning of the summer, some questionable social media posting and an already stacked defence indicated Colwill may be returning to Brighton, where he spent last season on loan, permanently.
Yet Kalidou Koulibaly’s exit and Wesley Fofana’s serious knee injury suggest the left centre-back berth is there for the taking, and Colwill appears the ideal candidate to snaffle it.
Pochettino has said he will remain a Chelsea player regardless of offers, although the rising price for Moises Caicedo could change that if the pursuit turns desperate.
Trevoh Chalobah
Despite performing whenever he’s given the opportunity, Trevoh Chalobah always seems to be on the way out of Stamford Bridge.
At just 24, he’s suddenly considered so senior in this novice Chelsea dressing room that he was named captain against Wrexham, and Fofana’s absence and Reece James’ friability present two spots in this line-up he could make his own.
Perhaps the stand-out performer of the second Lampard era, he has shown he can shine even in the direst of circumstances.
There is even a possibility Chalobah could provide defensive midfield cover if asked, as he possesses the required skillset and played in the role at youth level.
Carney Chukwuemeka
For Chukwuemeka, see Santos, but not quite as good. The ex-Aston Villa prodigy looked out of his depth when used last season, but so did most players. Yet he has shown, both in moments under Graham Potter and in the limited pre-season so far, that he is a very talented player, if not still quite raw.
Yet with Enzo Fernandez and the potentially outgoing Conor Gallagher the only two senior midfielders currently in the squad, there will likely be plenty of opportunities for Chukwuemeka to improve and demonstrate his class, both in central midfield and as a No 10.
Nicolas Jackson
“You just know he is the man, the one in charge. Let me repeat. I am so, so happy right now. Pochettino is amazing.”
Not only does Nicolas Jackson look good on the pitch, he’s even saying the right things.
Perhaps the captain of the Good Vibes XI thus far, the summer signing from Villarreal has a goal and three assists from his two pre-season games, looking adept as a back-to-goal target man capable of contributing in multiple phases of play.
With Christopher Nkunku’s long-term role still unclear, Jackson may well be the only outright striker in the squad come the start of the season. Only time will tell if he sinks or swims, but he will undoubtedly have the opportunity to show his class.
Potentially key to Jackson’s development will be whether a more experienced counterpart is signed. At just 22, he is still raw and a lack of competition and guidance could be hugely detrimental.
This brings us on to perhaps the biggest thing Pochettino needs to bring in to improve this precociously talented but very young squad…
Experience
The oldest midfielder is 24-year-old Gallagher, the second-oldest defender is 26-year-old Ben Chilwell and at 28, even Kepa Arrizabalaga is young for a goalkeeper. This is a squad desperately lacking maturity and experience. There will be tough times to come under Pochettino, as there are under any coach, and some old heads will be crucial in coming out the other side of those stronger.
Given 28-year-old Raheem Sterling and 38-year-old Thiago Silva are the only players older than 26 that will likely start with any regularity, ensuring future signings will also be senior dressing room figures is crucial.
A right-winger
Michael Olise has been rumoured as Chelsea’s leading pick in this slot and he would fit the bill perfectly. Noni Madueke shone for England in their U21 Euros victory and also demonstrated flashes of brilliance under Lampard, yet he is still young and needs competition.
With Hakim Ziyech heavily rumoured to be leaving – he would already have his feet up in Saudi Arabia if it was up to him – fresh blood in this spot is crucial.
Multiple midfielders
Two or three is a rough estimate, but four would be fine. Five would probably be ideal. One would not.
For a position which requires the most exertion and thus has a high rate of niggling injuries which keep players out for multiple short spells, Chelsea have two senior options (24 and 22) and three kids, only one of whom has played a single Premier League minute.
This simply is not sustainable, and only bringing in Caicedo is also not a solution to the problem. It either needs to be Caicedo plus one other, or perhaps more presciently, use the Caicedo money to buy an entire, functioning midfield.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ANhmngi
Post a Comment