“Start him and beat SPurs” – Pochettino told to start 21-year-old Chelsea man for the first time against Tottenham
The fight his players shown in their weekend 2-2 draw with Aston Villa will please Mauricio Pochettino.
They were behind 2-0 at halftime, but they rallied to earn a point, demonstrating the tenacity and will the manager had been begging for the entire season.
They might even feel unfairly treated because Axel Disasi’s contentious late goal was disallowed by VAR, depriving them of all three points.
Chelsea battle to 2-2 draw vs Aston Villa
With just 11 senior outfield players to call upon on Saturday, the starting side very much picked itself as far as Pochettino was concerned.
While the likes of Noni Madueke took their chance to impress, Mykhailo Mudryk on the other side was not so clinical.
The Ukraine international looked rusty at times, and was far from his best over on the left wing.
The manager made only two substitutes in that game, however he should now look to one of them when it comes to picking his side to take on Tottenham.
Cesare Casadei has seen extremely limited minutes since coming back to the club from his loan at Leicester, with some asking the question why asking his succesful short term period there was cut so short.
Cesare Casadei should start against Tottenham
He has frequently been brought on late in games, being given limited time to impact proceedings.
However, Pochettino has the perfect opportunity to bring him in and allow him to play in front of the impressive midfield pairing of Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo.
This would likely see Cole Palmer return to a more natural attacking role on one side of Nicolas Jackson, a role he played the majority of the season in before his transition into the number 10 role.
Casadei can also bring an element of height to the team that they have not always been able to call upon, which can be crucial for set pieces in both penalty areas.
Despite the fact he is yet to start for Chelsea, there is a real opportunity for him to make a statement on Thursday.