Mauricio Pochettino seems to have helped turn Chelsea’s fortunes around in just two and a half games of football.
Ever since they went in 2-0 down at half-time against Aston Villa, they have looked a different side and won the combined time on the pitch by a scoreline of 9-0.
The big change has been Marc Cucurella’s role shifting, operating as an inverted left-back and helping out in midfield.
Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile has put a lot of credit on the Spaniard for helping turn things around at Stamford Bridge, saying he is crucial to what they are doing right now.
It is fair to say though that he has produced some of his best performances in his new position since he made his move to the club at the start of last season.
Pochettino on future of new system
Pochettino has now spoken in his pre-match press conference about whether he is looking to keep the system going into next season, especially when some of his other full-backs return from injury.
He said: “It is always the momentum of the team, the characteristics of the player. With the inverted full-back or not, playing with a full-back higher in the pocket, in the half-space.
“It is not about the names that are on the pitch, it is about when you start to evolve and step up, work on the priorities. This type of situation can help because we miss some players in that position.”
Pochettino under pressure
There is of course no guarantees over Pochettino’s place at the club for next season, with pressure firmly on for months now.
Despite lifting the side into the European places, there is reportedly a demand from the owners to bring Europa League football to Stamford Bridge next season, meaning the job is not done yet.
With how they are playing right now though in this new system, it doesn’t feel an unrealistic circumstance that they could pull it off.
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