This season, Mauricio Pochettino has had many Chelsea dilemmas. His most recent solution to one of those problems has paid off handsomely: in late April, Enzo Fernandez announced that he would miss the rest of the season following surgery to correct a hernia. As part of a midfield three, Fernandez has formed an impressive unit with Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher, but now Pochettino had to find a replacement. Any one of Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Lesley Ugochukwu filling that void looked unlikely due to injury issues plaguing all three, so Pochettino was forced to make an unusual choice. This past weekend’s match against Aston Villa, Chelsea was overmatched in midfield, prompting Pochettino to use Marc Cucurella as an inverted left-back in the second half.
The Blues took control of the game and went on to score twice in the closing minutes to salvage a point thanks to an additional body that was in possession in the middle of the field.
Pochettino decided to use the tactical change again in Thursday’s match against Tottenham, presumably due to its high level of success. The Spain international repeatedly slipped inside to take up the ball and drive into Spurs’ half, demonstrating how difficult it was for the visitors to manage with his presence despite the four fouls called against him.
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