Mauricio Pochettino’s start at Chelsea has been punishing for his players but fans were given a glimpse of his vision for the future in his first game in charge.
Chelsea dominated possession for 90 minutes and eased to a 5-0 win over Wrexham as Pochettino began to imprint his identity on a young team which featured 10 debutants.
After two weeks of 8.30am starts, gruelling double training sessions, hours running on grass and strength and conditioning work in the gym, this was the start of the Chelsea fightback.
New arrivals Malo Gusto, Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos and Nicolas Jackson all started as they bid to impress Pochettino.
A three-man midfield of Santos, Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka impressed in a team with an average age of just 19, as Pochettino started with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
Conor Gallagher came on at half-time and, while there is Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea are light of midfield options and it is easy to see why they want to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
There is a lack of experience in midfield and Pochettino may well need Santos (19), Casadei (20) or Chukwuemeka (19) to be ready to compete in the Premier League.
Santos, an £18million signing from Vasco da Gama in January, is perhaps the most likely to make the breakthrough next season. The Brazilian was one of the best players on the pitch against Wrexham, taking up clever positions and linking the play well.
Round the goalkeeper and onto the scoresheet! 👌#BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/28nOMZWeGr
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 20, 2023
He seemed to impress Pochettino, who said: “They have the profile. Only they need time. They are young. We cannot forget we are in Chelsea, the pressure is always to win. They need to have the place, to have time to evolve but yes the profile is good.”
Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, the £52m summer signing from RB Leipzig, both impressed as they played a half each as the No9. Jackson showed his place in the first half. Nkunku was a bit quieter but produced a moment of quality late on with a smart finish.
Chelsea showed many of the characteristics we knew from Pochettino’s team at Tottenham. The Blues tried to press despite the extreme heat and they maintained possession well.
Ben Chilwell scored from an overlapping run into the box, highlighting the adventurous spirit Pochettino wants from his full-backs.
Ian Maatsen impressed with two goals and will have given Pochettino some food for thought. The left-back seems likely to depart but he said after the game that he wants to force his way in Pochettino’s plans next season.
Pochettino said he was “happy” with the run-out as he begins a major rebuilding job.
Chelsea co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano were in attendance and shared an embrace with Pochettino after the match.
Hopes are high for next season but one senior official acknowledged: “We know after last season, we can’t take anything for granted.”
