Chelsea players left for USA on Monday ahead of their pre-season tour. Mauricio Pochettino will get a chance to look at the players in action and make some key decisions on the their futures and tactics. A host of young players have gone with the squad and it will be a good chance for them to impress the new manager. Here’s a look at 3 agendas for Pochettino during pre-season for Chelsea.
Right combination and lineup
One of the first agendas on Mauricio Pochettino’s mind will be finding the right combination on the field. It is fresh to see Chelsea only taking players who will feature later in the season on the pre-season tour. The club has decided to leave players like Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi at Cobham as directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley look to find new clubs for them. In the past, CFC pre-season teams have often featured fringe players destined to go out on loan or move to a new club. This was seen as recently as last summer when Thomas Tuchel decided to field the likes of Emerson Palmieri, Ross Barkley and Kenedy, all of whom were sold later.
It will be interesting to see the formation and style of play under Pochettino. The Argentine will look to experiment in pre-season and understand which formations are best suited for this squad. Pochettino has an ideology that consists of aggressive pressing and strict high-intensity training routines. His previous teams have played some fluid football, creating attacking overloads on one flank before quickly switching to the other flank.
Another tactic that he has often used is his teams start with a four-at-the-back formation and switch to a three-at-the-back shape with the ball. This is suitable for Chelsea’s squad as the Blues have Ben Chilwell and Reece James, amongst the best wingbacks in the world. Moreover, the West London Club has strong ball-playing centrebacks like Benoit Badiashille, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill. Although, Badiashille and Fofana have not travelled with the squad and we could see Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill featuring in pre-season games. Pochettino will look to deploy these defenders and ask them to pass between the lines to bring a more direct approach to the team’s play.
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Find the right system for struggling players
Chelsea signed a lot of talented players last season. However, they seemed to struggle due to several factors and never settled into the league. With a full pre-season at hand, Pochettino must aim to get the best out of struggling players like Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke. They have lacked consistency, although the talent has been displayed here and there. Another player that has struggled in attack is Raheem Sterling. He is a winger of world class quality, as described by Pochettino himself. The 51-year-old will look to bring in a settled and stable attacking system where these players can flourish.
It was brilliant to see Mykhailo Mudryk feature in the U21 Euros, and it is said to have impressed Blues’ new manager as well. Pochettino’s use of Mudryk in the pre-season will be one thing to watch out for, as the Ukrainian winger did seem to settle in last season, but there were flashes of his ferocious pace and dribbling ability.
With Kai Havertz now at Arsenal, Pochettino must find a solution for the striker situation. With Broja still recovering, new signing Nicolas Jackson is the team’s only striker, and we may see Christopher Nkunku leading the line at some point. At the same time, CFC could go ahead with a false nine in the form of Sterling.
Chances for younger Chelsea players
Boehly and his team have signed some of the best young talent in the world. Pochettino must use this pre-season to give them a chance and see which ones are worth keeping for the season. Most of them will likely go out on loan or continue with the development squad for the season, but the current team has spots open, and one of these youngsters could step up and grab the opportunity.
In the goalkeeper position, Gabriel Slonina has a significant chance of featuring for the Blues and impressing the gaffer as Edouard Mendy completed a move to Al Ahli earlier this month. The 19-year-old had a great outing at the U20 World Cup, and the American will look to prove his mettle as the backup goalkeeper position is still up for grabs in the squad.
In defence, Malo Gusto can feature on the right side of the defence. Since Reece James has yet to travel with the team, this could be a massive opportunity for the Frenchman to show his skills. Poch could also look at Ian Maatsen and decide his role in the squad. The 21-year-old starred for Burnley last season and was one of their best players.
The midfield is wide open at the moment, and only Enzo Fernandez is a guaranteed starter at the moment. Players like Carney Chukwuemeka, Andrey Santos, and Cesar Casadei could be in line to feature in the pre-season games, and they could impress Pochettino.
Armando Broja has not travelled in attack as he is still recovering, leaving Nicolas Jackson as the only recognised striker in the squad. At the same time, pre-season will be necessary for Mykalo Mudryk and Noni Madueke as they will look to gain momentum before the start of the season. Their performances will help the backroom staff understand the right attacking lineup for the first Premier League game.