Preston North End was not an easy opponent for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but in the end it was a typical cup victory over a team in the lower level. Mauricio Pochettino was furious as the first half ended without a goal as he was walking back down the tunnel. The referee had not blown his whistle and the Blues were lacking in quality to go past Freddie Woodman.
When the players came back from the break, things did not instantly go better, but Mykhailo Mudyrk and Malo Gusto managed to locate an excellent moment that Armando Broja could equal with his head. Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Enzo Fernandez all added goals after the Albanian international started the score, opening the floodgates.
The west London team advanced to the FA Cup’s fourth round, keeping their perfect record in knockout play intact since Pochettino joined the team. Football.london looks at some of the discussion sparked by Chelsea’s victory below, with Middlesbrough up next in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Armando Broja’s trial
First half conditions were tough for the 22-year-old attacker. He was deprived of a lot of activity in the box and struggled to hold onto the ball when it did occasionally find its way to him. In the end, his performances are measured by his ability to find the net, which he accomplished on Saturday afternoon against Preston.
With Nicolas Jackson playing Senegal at the African Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast this month, there will be more eyes on the Cobham product. The strain will have only mounted after Christopher Nkunku’s hip problem on Friday prevented him from playing in the FA Cup match and raised doubts about his availability for the next seven days.
The youthful striker had scored in his first start of the season against Fulham in October, making it his second goal of the year. After suffering an ACL injury, Broja has struggled to return to full fitness and consistency. His 76-minute appearance at Stamford Bridge was his longest game of the season.
Pochettino is certain that Broja has a lot of potential and was aware of his path in the summer. The Blues manager expects the forward to put in more effort to recover from his injury layoff.
“It’s really important for him, but I need to be honest—I think he needs to use this type of game to improve,” he stated at his news conference. He needs to step up, go forward, smile more, and be more optimistic in order to develop not only in his physical fitness but also in his work ethic. We are discussing a young striker with one of the greatest potentials in England or Europe, and his potential is incredible. We will endeavor to assist him in realizing that hard effort and perseverance are necessary, and he must push himself in this direction.
“By the way, he requires time as he had a significant injury almost a year ago. He finds it difficult to perform or to function at the standard we demand. We will push him because we have high expectations of him and we truly need him.”
Chelsea’s choice over whether to pursue a new striker in the transfer window may be greatly influenced by Broja’s performances in the next games. Broja, Jackson, and Nkunku might be sufficient for the rest of the season and beyond, but if a move in the transfer market is anticipated, it appears likely that the Cobham product will be sacrificed.
Pochettino wants to push Broja farther and give him great accolades, but he also wants to be understanding of his circumstances this year. The striker’s trajectory may be determined in the upcoming weeks.
A transfer meeting is scheduled.
It was once again evident that Chelsea does not now appear to be planning on having a January transfer window that is as active as it was a year ago. They would like to reinforce their forward positions and backline, but there seems to be just as much chance for it to happen in the upcoming weeks as there is in the summer.
There is a consensus that, even with 11 players out on Saturday afternoon due to injuries, the team still needs to find out what the group can really give. Whose future is likely to be spent away from the club will likely be the main focus instead.
Ian Maatsen is of interest to Borussia Dortmund, and Trevoh Chalobah is still of attention. It seems that facilitating loans for individuals who are marginalized is also on the agenda.
To further discuss their daily talks, Pochettino will meet with Laurence Stewart, Paul Winstanley, and Behdad Eghbali at Cobham on Sunday. When Andrey Santos returns from Nottingham Forest, he seems to be the most popular person to talk about.
In answer to a query concerning Jordan Henderson, Pochettino stated, “To be honest, we didn’t talk about names.” “We are not currently discussing the possibility of bringing players. Here in the manager’s office with Paul and Laurence, I spotted Behdad. We will be in the training ground tomorrow, so I believe we will talk. We didn’t discuss positions or names; we didn’t discuss bringing in players. We are currently concentrating on guys like Andrey Santos to determine our course of action.”
Prospects
Aflie Gilchrist made his complete debut in Saturday’s victory, and 17-year-old Michael Golding made his senior team debut, however there was not much of a rotation away from Pochettino’s starting eleven. Dylan Williams, who was last seen in the group in February 2022, made his debut this term as a member of the development squad.
Some would have been irritated by the two goalkeepers who are still on the bench, while Leo Castledine probably missed the group because of an injury he sustained earlier in the week. However, the Preston game will have been viewed as a moment of connection and an illustration of a link between first team and academy, with academy coaching staff Mark Robinson and James Simmonds in attendance. Perhaps more possibilities are ahead with another FA Cup match to come and Championship opponents in the Carabao Cup.
Gilchrist put in a solid performance for an hour, maybe the best on the field during this time, despite having little full match preparation. We can assume that the Blues fan had a proud moment throughout the outing.
After the match, he stated, “It was crazy to be there for such a long time as a Chelsea supporter; it meant a lot to me and my friends and family in the stands as well. momentous occasion and simply want to carry on. I had a great time playing against men’s teams in the EFL Trophy, as I always said when I was playing for the under-21s that I like playing against them because they were challenging.”
It would be fascinating to see how he uses Benoit Badiasihle and Ben Chilwell, who are both nearing returns, to bolster the first team going forward or whether he is positioned to take advantage of loan interest.
Chelsea’s injury problems have forced the club to accommodate a number of its academy players in first team training this season. This week, Golding participated in the group and received a reward.
“He’s very tidy, training alongside him you see how much of a player he is,” Levi Colwill, a Cobham product and captain against Preson, said of the England under-17 international. “Hopefully he keeps working hard and gets to make more appearances.”
There are many talented people that are eager to be included. Castledine will be aware that a chance might present itself while Ishe Samuels-Smith is back among the group. Given that Kiano Dyer, 16, has already made an impression at the under-21 level, he must be aware that he could be able to carve out a path for himself as well.
