Coach Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea face a series of problems before the new 2023/2024 season kicks off. The Blues need to find the answer soon.
Chelsea promises to have a strong skin change in the upcoming season. Summer 2023, The Blues bid farewell to a series of stars: Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Eduouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang….
In the opposite direction, The Blues welcome bright rookies. Coach Mauricio Pochettino owns a strong, deep squad.
That at the same time invisible medium becomes a great pressure placed on the shoulders of the Argentine strategist. Here are 4 problems, Pochettino needs to quickly find the answer before the new season starts.
1 – How does Chelsea play without Nkunku?
Christopher Nkunku brought lightning to Chelsea in pre-season. The French star is expected to sit out for a while after suffering a serious knee injury.
The £52 million contract is expected by many fans to bring a new breeze to the Chelsea attack front. So how will Pochettino cope without the 25-year-old star?
Blockbuster signing Mykhaylo Mudryk emerged as a possible alternative for Pochettino. The Ukrainian star promises to create a damaging drill in the boundary corridor if he maximizes his potential.
2 – Who plays the main goal scorer?
Weak scoring ability became a major limitation of Chelsea last season. In total, after 38 rounds, the west London team owns only 38 goals.
In the context of Nkunku’s long-term absence due to injury, rookie Nicolas Jackson is likely to be given a starting kick by Pochettino in attack. Last season, Jackson contributed 12 goals for Villarreal.
However, lack of experience in the top battle will make Jackson difficult in a fierce playing field like the Premier League. Fans expect Armando Broja to recover from his injury and return to the field at the beginning of the season.
3 – Future Romelu Lukaku
The future of the Belgian striker became a prominent topic on transfer news sites throughout the summer of this year. After negotiations to transfer to Inter Milan failed, Lukaku was linked to Juventus.
However, both Chelsea and Juventus have not reached a common voice on the negotiating table. The Blues once planned to swap Lukaku for Dusan Vlahovic. However, the plan is still simply on the table.
Coach Pochettino needs to close the future of Lukaku soon. The former Man United striker does not seem to be included in the Argentine strategist’s plan. The two sides will come to a final decision before this year’s summer market closes.
4 – Recruit Moises Caicedo
Chelsea pursued the Ecuadorian midfielder through the summer of 2023. Chelsea’s plan seemed to fail when Liverpool put on the table to negotiate a figure of 110 million pounds. However, a surprise happened when Caicedo refused to dock at The Kop.
The Ecuadorian player publicly wants to join Chelsea. That opened the door for the Blues. The London team needs to close the blockbuster deal soon before the summer market closes.