For Chelsea fans to imagine Mauricio Pochettino in charge it is perhaps not too hard. Similarly to when Frank Lampard took over in 2019 and his high energy, extremely attacking and transitionally exposed set-up was clear, the same could be said here.
There were less obvious tactical choices evident when Thomas Tuchel took over from Lampard. Few would have forseen Callum Hudson-Odoi as a wing-back, Cesar Azpilicueta thriving back in centre-back again or Jorginho being given another lifeline.
It is easy to see how Pochettino moulds this flexible young squad to his disposal, though. If Kepa was to remain he is a goalkeeper good enough with the ball at his feet, Edouard Mendy is a closer fit to Hugo Lloris at Tottenham.
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Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are good ball progressors and can be improved. They are able to use a high-line and be adventurous on the ball. In Reece James and Ben Chilwell, Chelsea possess two of the best wing-backs in the global game, also capable of playing as attacking full-backs too, possibly a mirror of Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier.
Their midfielders have energy - Enzo Fernandez, N'Golo Kante and Conor Gallagher, anyway - and their new wingers are pacey, direct and play in-behind as well as inside and outside. Christopher Nkunku is a goal-scoring forward that doesn't play up front.
The missing cogs, and this doesn't just go for Pochettino but pretty much any head coach that could yet come in, are in goal and up-front as well as the great big missing piece for the puzzle for the team. A reliable, destructive and ball-playing defensive midfielder with physicality.
It is perhaps the most important position in modern football. Think Rodri, Fabinho of old - and how his decline has hurt Liverpool so - Casemiro, Thomas Partey and even the immediate impact that Boubacar Kamara has had at Aston Villa. Chelsea don't have one of these.
Kante has long been miscast for the role meanwhile Fernandez, like Jorginho before him, can play in the same space but not fulfil the desired responsibilities. For Pochettino it is perhaps the biggest area for concern as he looks set to prepare for life at Stamford Bridge.
At Southampton he had Morgan Schneiderlin while Jack Cork also played a key role. At Spurs he would go on to purchase Victor Wanyama and there is the player that caught his eye the most. In the book 'A Brave New World', written by Guillem Balague and documenting the 2016/17 season in Pochettino's eyes, he opened up on the importance of Wanyama.
"Having Wanyama is a great help in terms of making every piece of the jigsaw fit," he wrote. "He's the perfect player and that's not just because he played every minute in the league or because our record at White Hart Lane has been remarkable since he came into the team.
"He is influential with and without the ball: he's among the top ten Premier League players in terms of ball recoveries, passes made and tackles won. He also makes life easier for our attacking players by filling in the gaps, releasing the ball without overcomplicating matters and he's relentless when it comes to pressing."
That is the type of character missing from Chelsea but, luckily for Pochettino, his side will be in the market for a player of that description. Links last summer had them eyeing up Romeo Lavia at Southampton as well as Edson Alvarez and Ibrahim Sangare.
Move on 12 months and Lavia is still in the frame as a young star that can be developed. In a poor Southampton side he is not yet competing with the best in the league for those metrics but does play with pleasing ease for a teenager.
Declan Rice is another player that has been long-admired by Chelsea and he is expected to move this summer, though Arsenal are stepping up their intent to buy him. David Moyes has also given a clear transfer instruction to West Ham about selling the club captain.
“Again, he was outstanding tonight but I thought we had some really big performers. No surprising me, he has got a great talent of regaining the ball,” said Moyes after the Hammers beat Manchester United on Sunday.
“You’ve seen him play for England, you’ve seen the abilities he uses in recovering the ball and getting around people. He’s great across the ground, very quick. I’m pleased, but not surprised.
“That’s why he is probably the best English midfield player around and that is why he is going to be extremely expensive if anybody comes calling.”
According to Sky Sports, there will be a price tag of £120m ($151m) on his head and only available for Champions League sides to access. When it comes to that it is a blow for Chelsea but not in the eyes of Gary Neville.
"I love Declan Rice," he said. "Obviously, Declan knows the position, but when I look at world-class holding midfielders, and players of that type, because he doesn't score or assist enough goals, you're putting him into that category of more of a destroyer.
"[Then], you've then got to be someone who I think is highly competent on the ball and linking play, and having that knowledge of the subtleties of getting on the ball from the back four.
"I personally feel, at this moment in time, that Declan needs to go and work under a different set-up, he needs to drive forward in his career, he needs to go and play at a different club.
"I think there's a lot of growth, and a lot for Declan to do to get up to the levels of Casemiro, Rodri and players at the top of the game in those positions.
"But, for me, I wouldn't be spending £110m or £120m on Rice if I was Manchester United this summer. I would spend £50m-£60m on Declan Rice, but I wouldn't spend the figures being reported."
Rice himself has addressed his ambitions in Europe, too. “One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” he said during the World Cup.
"For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.
"I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Chelsea themselves may find it hard to fund such a large deal, especially with West Ham now all but safe from relegation. When it comes to finding alternatives that fit Pochettino's bill for passes made, tackles and recoveries (adjusted to interceptions due to data available), Chelsea are already fishing in the right pond.
Across all three categories there is only one individual that fits into the top ten - and it's not Rice either. That name is Moises Caicedo, another player Chelsea have been looking at and were keen to sign in January. He has recently signed a new deal at Brighton until 2027 and would be a tough get due to the relationship with the Seagulls in the past year.
He does appear to be the next best option as a defensive minded mifielder, though, like Rice, Caicedo also bursts from deep well and can act as a box-to-box player at times but has struggled with defensive discipline, though.
At 21, he is still growing and could be a great alternative. Other names that crop up across the three categories are Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gana Gueye at Everton. Neither are likely to be on Chelsea's list but fit the statistical profile.
Ruben Neves is a better passer and interceptor and isn't far out of the top ten for all three. He is a better ball-playing option rather than destroyer. James Ward-Prowse is in the same camp for passes and interceptions.
Joao Palhinha from Fulham has been marked as cheap version slipping under the radar for his very impressive first year in England and is a brilliant tackler and top-ten interceptor too. Joelinton's appearance as a defensive presence at Newcastle is also intriguing and could pave the way for some new funky roles for Kante and Gallagher to explore.
The only other consistent name here outside of Rice is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Interestingly enough a player that has followed Pochettino at Spurs and Southampton despite never playing under him. Given the profiling of him, it may well have been a match in heaven.
The 27-year-old isn't a known target for Chelsea, though, and would be treading a hard line to cross London in a transfer like that as well. It leaves Rice as the main man in this situation once more. He is, at 24, one of the best players in his position in the world and would be a player capable of filling any role for Pochettino.
When it comes to football stats site FBREF, the number generated matches and comparisons to Wanyama include Fernandez, Jude Bellingham, Alexis Mac Allister and Caicedo. Once more proof that the torch is already shining in the right direction.
Unfortunately full data for the 2016/17 season is unavailable to truly compare Wanyama with the fresh suitors for this role under Pochettino. What can be seen is that he is a better defensive player than most, making more interceptions than all but Caicedo out of the list above.
He did make more fouls than the others too but also completed significantly more tackles. This was reflected in more yellow cards. He was less of a goalscorer or assister than the rest as well but his role was often as a middle-man in a situational back three in possession.
If Chelsea stick with their current remit then they won't be far wrong when searching for Pochettino's dream man.
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