The Pride of London discuss the apparent element of the Chelsea squad that worries Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino most of all. There is another aspect that relates to this issue which the boss has now spoken about as well.
With just over a fortnight to not only prepare his team but have it Premier League-ready, ‘Poch’ is reportedly concerned. CFC were far from ready on and off the pitch last season, two years running in the footballing wilderness would be totally unacceptable. So why are there only really two recognised senior midfielders – Enzo Maresca and Conor Gallagher – at the west London outfit? Well, an abundance of former Blues in that position have left over the summer. In addition to that factor, Chelsea are apparently locked in seemingly stalemate negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion over the potential signing of versatile DM Moises Caicedo.
Obviously there is a plethora of varied up-and-coming midfield talents at Stamford Bridge: Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka. But it would be unwise to take risks by handing important roles to these starlets. Having them in and around the side, especially for the League Cup and other tournaments with a few Premier League opportunities, is more suitable. The one man this isn’t lost on, is Pochettino. The ‘lack of experience and depth‘ is a worry for him; ‘slow progress in acquiring reinforcements’ is another issue for the Argentine.
Mauricio Pochettino warns Chelsea that tough decisions are required regarding a massive, unbalanced squad to avoid a mess of a team as gaffer gets real
A byproduct of selling loads of players is that a roster may end up light in certain areas. Of course, having too many players is also inefficient, yet arguably preferable. On the matter of the ridiculous amount of personnel the Blues have on their books, ‘Poch’ stated this:
"‘We are 29 players here and the squad is massive. It is about creating a squad with good balance and people who can play and can compete for their place.‘That is a big job and challenge for us in the transfer window, to build a good relationship and good balance. If players are not happy because they believe they are not going to play, we are going to find a solution with the club and fix the situation.‘We cannot have a massive squad, players not involved, then it’s going to create a mess. Maybe less is more and more is less. That is why I need to make clear – we don’t need a big squad.‘We need 22, 23, 24 players with some younger, and that’s it. I am so sorry because maybe the decision will be tough, but we need to build a good and balanced team who want to compete for things.’"