This Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino will be driven to earn his first victory as Chelsea manager in the Premier League. On Sunday afternoon, West Ham will host the Blues at the London Stadium in what is sure to be a thrilling matchup.
Before the trip to east London, Pochettino acknowledged that Chelsea will face a challenging contest. It will be difficult, the 51-year-old stated. We are aware of their game plan.
“They are starting to alter the shape, but it will always be difficult. The Premier League games will all be challenging. They are a very good team performing a terrific job. Last season, they lifted a trophy, so they are quite confident. Going to be difficult.
Chelsea has been working hard in training to iron out any kinks in their game plan because they are well aware of West Ham’s potential to steal three points. In light of this, football.london has examined the key moments from Chelsea’s final practice at Cobham before their match against the Hammers.
Argentinian connection
Pochettino and Enzo Fernandez were caught having an in-depth talk. Previously, the former Benfica star has often been deprived of backup in midfield but, with the additions of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, he now looks set to be truly freed from the shackles of the number six role.
Caicedo settles
Caicedo certainly seemed to enjoy his first training session with the Chelsea squad. The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined the Blues for a club-record fee this summer, was spotted smiling, laughing, and focused on the drills.
He was also seen juggling the ball with former Brighton teammate Marc Cucurella. Despite having only recently signed, Blues fans are keen to see Pochettino throw Caicedo into the starting lineup.
Gusto’s audition
Malo Gusto is anticipated to step in at right-back as Reece James recovers from a hamstring injury. The England international might be replaced by Axel Disasi after the latter had a strong debut against Liverpool.
Gusto appears to be the choice, however, Pochettino appears willing to throw his full back up the pitch. Additionally, the former Lyon defender was a standout in the most recent Chelsea training photos.
The focal point of the action is Madueke.
Madueke will be in the matchday squad against West Ham, according to Pochettino’s confirmation on Friday. The 21-year-old winger has not yet played for the Blues manager due to an ailment he has been battling all summer.
Pochettino remarked, “He is a lot better.” He participated in the Liverpool game, but we wanted to avoid it since it was too soon for us to take a chance with him. However, by this point, he was doing incredibly well in his weekday training. He will take part in the game against West Ham and could even play.
Madueke appeared to be actively participating in several drills in Chelsea’s most recent training photos. Although it appears doubtful that he will start against the Hammers, coming off the bench is possible.
