Chelsea had a nightmare 2022/23 season under the new ownership but now that they have brought in Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues will look to stand up again and return amongst the big boys.
Chelsea begin the new Premier League season on Sunday when they welcome Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool so Pochettino won’t have time to settle down and get a feel of things.
Last season, Chelsea brought in a crazy number of players so this summer, the management has been busy balancing the books. So far, the club have brought in more than €225 million from player sales and it’s safe to say that the management has been able to get rid of most of the deadwoods from the locker room.
A few seasons ago and Liverpool would have been the favourites to win this high-profile tie but the Anfield outfit had a disappointing previous season as well plus they have not brought in too many reinforcements during the ongoing transfer window. Last campaign, Chelsea and Liverpool drew both their Premier League matches and we are sure Pochettino won’t mind starting his reign at Stamford Bridge with a draw against a team like Liverpool.
Chelsea’s team news and injuries:
Much like the managers from last campaign, Pochettino is also unlucky with injuries because he will be without some very important players, especially in defence where both Wesley Fofana and Badiashile will be missing.
Badiashile will hopefully be back by the end of this month but Fofana has ACL damage and he is likely to be on the sidelines for the remainder of the 23/24 season. Thankfully, Chelsea have signed Axel Disasi so the 25-year-old will partner Thiago Silva in central defence on Sunday.
The Blues have sold Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and also Mason Mount which leaves Enzo Fernandes as the only top-level midfielder in the squad. Chelsea have brought in Andrey Santos and Lesley Ugochukwu but both are 19 years of age so they will take some time before they break into the first team.
The London side are chasing Moises Caicedo from Brighton but against Liverpool, Conor Gallagher will pair up with Enzo in central midfield.
Nkunku was supposed to be the No 10 for Pochettino’s team but the 25-year-old has picked up a knee injury and as per the latest reports, he could be out for around 16 weeks.
An official statement from the club read: “Nkunku has sustained a knee injury which will rule the forward out for an extended period.
“The 25-year-old has undergone an operation and will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club’s medical department.”
Christopher Nkunku’s injury during the pre-season has thrown a spanner into Pochettino’s plans and if the forward is out for three months then Chelsea will have to go out and bring in another attacker before the transfer window ends.
For Sunday, Raheem Sterling should be the one playing in the No 10 role with Mudryk and Madueke operating as the two wingers. Madueke has a tight hamstring but he should be fit in time to play against Liverpool.
Chelsea have Romelu Lukaku in the squad but the Belgium international is being linked with a move to Juventus so he won’t start. Pochettino is expected to put his faith in summer signing Nicolas Jackson who’s arrived from Villarreal.
Chelsea predicted line up vs Liverpool:
Predicted Starting line up(4-2-3-1): Robert Sanchez; Silva, Disasi, Reece James, Ben Chilwell; Enzo Fernandez, Gallagher; Madueke, Mudryk, Sterling; Nicolas Jackson.
