A hard fought battle at the Bridge ended up adding three more points to Chelsea’s tally and brought them back to the top half of the Premier League table. Brighton & Hove Albion would’ve hoped to come back after the Blues’ skipper – Conor Gallagher was sent off in the first half but Pochettino’s 10 men were belligerent and avoided an upset.
Ben Jacobs on Pochettino: “The players are enjoying his methods. Mudryk is settling better; focus on one-on-one time and squad integration, Caicedo is utilising the open-door policy, and Cole Palmer is being encouraged to lead on and off the field."https://t.co/7lKlOFESCZ pic.twitter.com/XteRWE8Z3B
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) December 4, 2023
Next up, Manchester United. The west Londeners will travel to Old Trafford for the 15th game of their campaign and a victory could see them move further up the table closing the gap between the two clubs.
Fixture congestion will definitely lead to squad rotation and with Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Christopher Nkunku and possibly Romeo Lavia returning to the matchday squad, the Argentine Head Coach will plan to stay the course and get the job done. Switching to three at the back as both fullbacks return and Conor Gallagher serves his suspension remains a possibility but the Gaffer is likely to stick with the same setup to avoid risking stability.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez (Spain)
Even after pulling off 7 saves, the most he’s made in a Premier League game for the Blues so far; a certain minority of the fanbase have continued criticizing him. Yes, those lapses in concentration but that doesn’t change the fact that the Spaniard’s performance proved to be decisive at the full-time whistle.