“He will never start for me again after his poor display against Middlesbrough in the FA-Mudryk and Broja start as Pochettino to consider three Chelsea changes vs Fulham
Chelsea will only have a few days at Cobham to prepare for their next opponent, Fulham, who visits Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime. The Blues host the Cottagers in their final game before a 10-day vacation.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team will be anxious to rebound from an exceedingly poor performance and result away to Middlesbrough on Tuesday. Hayden Hackney scored the game’s sole goal, giving Boro the advantage going into the second leg of the semi-final in less than two weeks.
Despite having won three games in a row coming into the game, Chelsea’s latest defeat means the fans have placed pressure back on Pochettino, and Saturday afternoon now has new significance. The Argentine coach may be tempted to make changes to the team that was defeated earlier this week at Riverside Stadium.
Djordje Petrovic will start in goal because Robert Sanchez is still out with a knee injury. Since replacing Sanchez, the Serbian custodian has quietly impressed.
However, there could – and should – be some adjustments in front of Petrovic. Alfie Gilchrist, the 20-year-old who earned his first senior start for the Blues against Preston North End in the FA Cup third round last weekend, could return.
Gilchrist is a natural center-back, but he shone on the right side of a back four against Preston. Pochettino’s thinking might include bringing the academy product back into the lineup and shifting Malo Gusto to the left flank.
This would allow Levi Colwill to shift into the centre of the field with Thiago Silva. Colwill has spent the majority of the season as a left-back, but in recent games, the England international has been caught out on several times.
Colwill is one of England’s most promising young center-backs and should be put into the middle sooner rather than later. A game like today, with Gilchrist possibly deserving of a start, could be the ideal occasion. Axel Disasi has also been playing a lot of football recently, so it may be time to give the France international a break.
Conor Gallagher may be dropped from the midfield on Saturday. The England international started the season strongly, but his performances have dipped in recent weeks, possibly due to exhaustion.
Enzo Fernandez looked promising until being substituted against Middlesbrough in the second half, while Moises Caicedo was undoubtedly Chelsea’s best player at the Riverside. These two might create a midfield partnership to allow the Blues to play a more offensive formation with four attackers ahead of them.
Raheem Sterling struggled against Boro, therefore the 29-year-old could come off the bench against Fulham. Mykhailo Mudryk might be the man in charge, with the Ukrainian winger on the left, Noni Madueke on the right, and Cole Palmer as the No.10 in the lineup.
Armando Broja came off the bench at the Riverside on Tuesday, but he should be back in the starting lineup soon. Broja is Chelsea’s sole available orthodox center-forward, and it appeared earlier in the week that the Blues were overlooking him.
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Chelsea FC and Real Madrid face off in the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One at Stamford Bridge. (Image courtesy of Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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