After celebrating a successful “homecoming” last November, Mauricio Pochettino welcomed his former club Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.
The Argentine still needs to convince the skeptical Chelsea fanbase that he is the man to lead the club through the “painful” rebuild – the phrase Pochettino coined to describe Tottenham’s situation in 2019.
However, the Blues go into Thursday’s London derby with a spark of optimism after fighting back from 2-0 down at Aston Villa to pick up a point on Saturday. Although they are winless in their last three games in all competitions, the season ends on a positive note and Chelsea could compete in Europe next season.
A defeat against Spurs, a team Chelsea seem to have a constant grip on, would be extremely damaging for Pochettino. It’s a big game for the Blues boss and here’s the team he could field for it.
TW: Djordje Petrovic – Robert Sanchez could recover from injury in time for Thursday but Petrovic, who has struggled to impress in recent weeks, is likely to keep his place.
RB: Trevoh Chalobah – Malo Gusto’s likely absence means Chalobah, who has impressed since returning to the team, will continue to play at right-back.
CB: Axel Disasi – Chalobah is undoubtedly better suited to the right-back role than the slow-moving Disasi, with the French defender ready to return to the starting XI in place of the injured Thiago Silva. Disasi thought he had scored a dramatic late winner at Villa, but the VAR intervened.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies mean Pochettino will remain at Badiashile despite his subpar form.
LB: Marc Cucurella – The Spaniard was full of praise for his coach before Thursday’s game. Cucurella has had a long career with the team and Ben Chilwell’s injury problems mean he will retain his place at left-back.
CM: Moises Caicedo – The Ecuadorian can undoubtedly play. His debut season was mixed, but Caicedo is showing signs of finishing his debut season with a goal.
CM: Conor Gallagher – Enzo Fernandez’s season-ending surgery will force Gallagher into the midfield position. The captain was successful at Villa Park, scoring an excellent equalizer.
RM: Noni Madueke – Some say he’s still trying out Craig Pawson. Madueke’s rant after the game at Villa Park showed he cared and he is likely to rise in the estimation of Blues fans because his stock has slumped.
AM: Cole Palmer – Last game, Chelsea’s talisman almost took all three points for the Blues, but on Saturday it was a rare occasion that Palmer failed to contribute.
LM: Mykhaylo Mudryk – With Raheem Sterling doubtful for this game, Pochettino may have to play Mudryk. Tottenham will exploit their defensive deficiencies if he is included.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – Jackson scored the cheapest hat-tricks in the second leg, with these goals accounting for 30% of the striker’s goals in the Premier League.