Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop

On Sunday, Chelsea FC will face off against AFC Bournemouth in their first Premier League match back from the international break. The last time the Blues played they suffered a brutal 1-0 defeat at home at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

While there could be many players to choose from that should be taken out of the starting 11 for the next game, one in particular hasn’t gotten enough attention for his mediocre play. That person would be midfielder Conor Gallagher. When you watch CFC play there are certain players that stand out, Enzo Fernández for his slick passing, Reece James for his ability to defend and get up and down the pitch, Raheem Sterling for his creative runs down the wing, and one or two more.

But when you watch Gallagher, you ask yourself, what does he do well? So far in Chelsea’s season, he has played and started every game. Part of that trickles down to, familiarity with the team, not having many other options in his place, and the manager having faith in him.

He hasn’t contributed to any goals or assists in those games, and he’s not very impactful. Gallagher isn’t a threat to score a goal, he scored three in 35 EPL appearances last season, and his passing ability is nothing that catches your attention. Defensively, he’s not someone you could classify as a holding midfield player like Moisés Caicedo.

While Chelsea’s midfield doesn’t have a lot of bodies, how many times do CFC fans have to watch the 23-year-old England international put forth one lackadaisical performance after another? The biggest problem among many that the West London side has in front of them right now is their inability to score goals. Chelsea have scored five goals in four games, two if you take out the game against lowly Luton Town.

One player in particular that could be an option to replace Gallagher, is Cole Palmer who Chelsea signed from Manchester City on the last day of the summer transfer window. Although Palmer is seen as more of an attacking player who plays on the wing, it wouldn’t be inconceivable for him to play where Gallagher has played in the midfield. Another thing Chels‘ manager Mauricio Pochettino can do is play with only two pure center midfielders Fernández and Caicedo.

Although Palmer is very raw and new to the Blues, he provides more of a goal threat than the former Crystal Palace man Gallagher, and maybe his presence will add some life to the team. While Gallagher isn’t the only man at fault for Chelsea’s early season struggles, he certainly isn’t a part of the solution, if Pochettino is really watching the games he will know it’s time to tackle him out for someone else.