Mount disappointed me massively by running down his Chelsea contract – players should never do that
Chelsea should rival Man City for Josko Gvardiol – a defender is their first priority after Fofana’s injury
Blues should aim for top four and play 4-2-3-1 to get the best from new stars like Mudryk
Moises Caicedo is the perfect partner for Enzo Fernandez
Thiago Silva should be captain – he has nastiness about him
Romeo Lavia a good fit for Blues
Henderson and Fabinho moving to Saudi is dangerous
Ahead of the new Premier League campaign, former Premier League player and manager Gus Poyet spoke to SafeBettingSites.com about the state of Chelsea Football Club.
The Blues suffered the blues last season, finishing their campaign in the bottom half and burning through four managers. Will 2023-24 be better for Chelsea?
Mason Mount disappointed me massively by running down his Chelsea contract – players should never do that
“I was very disappointed when Mount left. When Mason Mount was in form, Chelsea was creating plenty of chances and when he wasn’t playing, Chelsea were struggling massively. He was always involved in many opportunities that helped Chelsea to score.
“I believe that when you sign a contract with a club, whether it is one year, three years or even fifteen years, you stay from the first day until the last. I absolutely hate it when a player has six months or a year left on his contract, and people start to say ‘if he doesn’t renew, he’s not going to play’, and they start all these rumours, and they don’t play or don’t care about playing because they’re going to leave. But how many years did they agree to play for?
“You don’t sign a four year contract, with the intention of playing three and then seeing about the last one. I don’t know the situations and I understand the positions of the club, but you agree to a contract. For me, it had to be a matter of something we don’t know with Mason Mount, but I’m sure he is going to fit in well with Manchester United. He’s British and he knows the Premier League very well.”
Chelsea should rival Man City for Josko Gvardiol – a striker is their first priority after Fofana’s injury
“If I were Chelsea, I would sign a defender. I’m not saying they can’t play the ones that are currently there, but when you lose a player like Fofana for the whole season, you need to react because I’m sure that he was one of the four main central defenders.”
“Which kind of player you get, whether it’s a young one or an experienced player, is up to Pochettino. It is an interesting option because sometimes you may want to bring in someone with experience if Thiago Silva can’t play, so it would be an interesting decision but they definitely need a defender.
“If you asked me before Fofana’s injury, I would have said a striker depending on Lukaku. I still don’t know what happened with Lukaku – I don’t even think Lukaku knows what happened with him – but for that we need to wait.
“Out of the defenders out there, the one I like is Man City’s target, Josko Gvardiol, so it’s going to be difficult to get him. But it’s about the characteristics, and that’s a question for Pochettino.”
Chelsea’s aim should be top-four and no further
“I think top four should be the aim for Chelsea. If you had asked me this question maybe a couple of years ago after winning the Champions League, I would say they needed to win a trophy, because that’s the usual for Chelsea. Now after last season which was very complicated, and all the changes that have been made in the summer, it is difficult to say to Pochettino from the beginning to win a trophy.
“But I’m sure he will have to aim for that. In regard to the Premier League, they need to finish in the top 4. With the money they’re spending, they need to be in the Champions League for sure.”
Chelsea should play 4-2-3-1 to get the best from new stars like Mudryk
“The 4-2-3-1 system will be a good change for Chelsea. Teams bring in players to play a certain system, and obviously there are others who suffer – for example the wingers. If you play a five at the back, the wingers will then need to play inside and then you have a problem up front. Or if you play with only two in midfield, then you have a problem in midfield.
“When you look at Chelsea’s squad today, with Mudryk, Madueke, maybe even Caicedo and a couple more players, I think the back four is a better fit. James and Chilwell staying fit will be the key for Pochettino.
“I’m not too sure what’s going to happen in the defence because of the injury to Wesley Fofana, but Pochettino will definitely go back to his time at Southampton, where he was fantastic with the young players. He had a system of two midfielders coming with two fullbacks who were playing really offensive football.
But his best football was probably at Tottenham, when they had two sitting midfielders and Eriksen feeding off of Kane, so “naturally you will try the formation that you like and understand to see if it fits the players. Definitely for the first few games, it is the system that he should play.”
Moises Caicedo is the perfect partner for Enzo Fernandez
“Caicedo has got all the potential and all the ability. Chelsea have lost a few players in midfield, so they definitely need a new midfielder. I’m sure that Poch knows which kind of characteristics he needs, especially accompanying Enzo Fernandez and the people around him, and I like Caicedo a lot.
“Caicedo has a good understanding of football because to be a regular starter under Roberto De Zerbi, you need to understand the game well to play that kind of football, so I’m sure he’s going to be a very good option for Chelsea and Pochettino.”
Thiago Silva should be captain – he has nastiness about him
“I think Thiago Silva will be the captain, without doubt. Leadership is a big problem in football now. Leadership comes with responsibilities, such as talking to the press after a terrible game, so the captain will need to show his face. They need character, and sometimes, leaders need a little bit of nastiness. There aren’t many nowadays.
“Nobody wants to be the nasty one, or the ugly one, or the one to accept responsibility on TV after losing 5-0. Nowadays, there are plenty of people in clubs who look for and need a leader and so they start looking for a character. Obviously they need to be a player, they need to play football – but it’s not easy. It’s not easy now to find a player with those characteristics, and to bring one from abroad to England to do that is difficult. But Thiago SIlva is our captain for sure.
“When Thiago SIlva is injured or doesn’t play, who will be captain then? Kepa? Reece James? Enzo Fernandez? Those kinds of situations are important for the coach, but we will see. I think they need to develop someone as it is something they need, because this is a very important season for Chelsea. There is no excuse now. New coach in for pre-season who knows the league well, plenty of changes to the squad, and Pochettino may need time. But you’re at Chelsea – no one knows how much time you get at Chelsea. So it is very important, and those leaders need to stand up, especially in the beginning of the season during the first ten games.”
How is Havertz going to fit into Arsenal’s system? He won’t play ahead of Jesus
“Havertz is going to be more of a situation of where he’s going to play. Can Arsenal play with Rice, Odegaard on the right and Havertz instead of Xhaka? I’m not so sure. Is he going to play up front instead of Jesus? No. I don’t know where he’s going to play, so until I see him and where he’s going to play, I can’t tell you whether it’s going to work or not, because it’s not an easy situation for Arteta. I’m sure Havertz will bring quality because he’s an exceptional player, but how is he going to fit into their system?”
Lots of young players at Chelsea need to grow up fast
“It’s going to be a challenging season because of different responsibilities. Chelsea need to maintain a certain level for the manager this season. If you play for a top 6 club like Chelsea, you need to win all the time, or take it when you lose and move on to the next game to make sure you don’t lose two in a row.
“There are plenty of new young players that need to grow up very quickly at Chelsea. Forget everything that happened before, now they’re at Chelsea they need to win – that’s the bottom line. So, if the new midfielders click well, it’s a plus. When I was in the tunnel at Chelsea, I looked around at the players and I saw Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo, I’m there and I’m happy – we want to play. If on top of that you’ve got Giafranco Zola, then I wish the opposition all the best. That’s the feeling I want the new midfield to have. You want them to feel that they’re going to be ok playing with each other before every game.
“I don’t know if the players feel that togetherness, but the connection between the players is what made our squad play naturally, and I want them to get that, because the midfield trio of Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho played with each other for many years so it’s a big change.”
Romeo Lavia a good fit for Blues but a centre-half and striker must be signed beforehand
“I think Lavia is a very good player and he’s got characteristics. The main thing is if Pochettino thinks the characteristics of the player fit the way that he is going to play, and where. I think it’s more important now that Chelsea look for a centre-half and a striker though.”
Henderson and Fabinho moving to Saudi is dangerous
“I think it’s dangerous. It happened in China when I was playing. There are some clubs now in the Saudi League that are becoming too strong, while others don’t. So it’s going to be a big difference, which I don’t think is good for the locals. But, players and coaches are taking their opportunities. It’s the timing.
“I went to China when others were there so it was the right moment to go there. So I’m not surprised that players are taking this opportunity because the timing is perfect. If there’s a time to go to Saudi Arabia, it’s now, so fair enough. It’s going to be different, that’s for sure. But the main thing is, how many people criticised Ronaldo for going last year? Now, everybody is going. But the timing is perfect for everyone that is going.”