Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he started three players who were really tired in his side’s 2-2 draw with Brentford yesterday.
Chelsea have played a lot of football of late, taking on Leeds United in the FA Cup during the week following their defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
That game went to extra time and Mauricio Pochettino has now told Chelsea’s official website that a few of his men were exhausted heading into yesterday’s match.
The Blues were still able to get a point and had a good chance to secure all three after taking the lead in the first half.
After wasting a couple of good opportunities, spurning one after a failed attempt at doing step overs, which did not impress Jason Cundy, Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring with a fantastic header. However, goals from Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa put Brentford in front before Axel Disasi equalised towards the end of the game.
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Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher all tired
According to Pochettino, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher were all tired going into the west London derby at the Gtech Community Stadium. It is why the Argentine decided to change to a back three.
“It was to provide the team a different way to play,” Pochettino explained. “We needed to provide the midfield the possibility not to cover too much distance. I think Enzo, Caicedo and Gallagher had to start but were really, really tired.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss later went on to add: “A player like [Romeo] Lavia is supposed to challenge Moises, but they are injured and we don’t have the possibility to refresh in a key area. That is why we needed to help them to try with another centre-back.”
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Mauricio Pochettino lacking midfield options right now
After playing more than 90 minutes against Liverpool and then having to take on Leeds a few days later, it is only normal for the midfielders to be tired.
But Pochettino did not have much choice but to start the trio yesterday because of the unavailability of Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu.
That being said, Cesare Casadei was available, making Chelsea’s decision to recall him from his loan at Leicester City an even stranger one. This would have been the perfect to time use the young Italian.
