da bet7： Chelsea have endured a miserable two years, from being crowned champions of Europe in 2021 to now struggling in the mid-table, it has been a stark fall from grace for one of London’s esteemed powerhouses.
da 888casino： In recent times, it is difficult to name a bigger fall from a Premier League side than the Blues, especially given the amount of money splashed on new recruits.
With the aim of fast-tracking their way back to success, Todd Boehly has facilitated such chronic spending having shelled out a staggering £1bn across three windows and while he is yet to reap the fruits of his labour, the American owner has laid down the marker of his ambitions.
Chelsea's youngest new signings
It is clear that Boehly has one eye on the future with the profile of player acquired; normally a wonderkid who is under the age of 23 who has risen to prominence on English shores or across the globe.
In the summer, the Blues showcased their hunger for hoovering up talented youngsters with nine of their 12 signings aged 23 or under, including Manchester City’s Cole Palmer, Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Stade Rennais Lesley Ugochukwu.
Chelsea’s focus isn’t just on recruiting youngsters from afar, it is also their philosophy to develop homegrown academy talent before throwing them into the senior setup having done so with Reece James, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill in the past.
Pochettino’s next job is to cherry-pick the most talented homegrown stars – like the above – and mould them into first-team regulars. One position he could look at targeting the academy for is centre-back.
With 39-year-old Thiago Silva likely to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract in June 2024, the next generation should use his departure as fuel to take his place.
Thiago Silva’s season in numbers
Despite reaching the twilight years of his glittering career at the top of world football, Silva has shown no signs of slowing down this term and Pochettino’s one wish would be to slice a few years off his age.
The Brazilian has established himself as one of the greatest defenders of the modern era and is a beacon of excellence in a sea of mediocrity.
Whilst many around him have dropped their levels, he has continued to shine, impressing with his calmness under pressure, relentless consistency, defensive prowess and winning mentality.
The veteran has remarkably featured in every minute so far in the Premier League and will likely continue that trend against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night.
And although Chelsea have suffered through their lack of cutting edge in attack, Silva has been instrumental to them posting strong defensive metrics.
In the top flight this term, only Manchester City, Newcastle United and Arsenal have conceded fewer expected goals than the Blues 12.47, while only four teams have shipped less than their tally of 11.
The £110k-per-week star has been at the heart of that solidity, winning 70% of his total duels, 77% of his aerial duels, recovering 6.4 balls and making 1.2 tackles per game, as per Sofascore.
Appearances
10
Clean sheets
3
Balls recovered per game
6.4
Clearances per game
4.2
Total duels won
70%
Dribbled past per game
0.4
Accurate pass completion
96%
All stats via Sofascore
In an ideal world, Pochettino wouldn’t have to replace his defensive monster but as he turns 40 next year, the Argentine needs to line up a worthy replacement.
That said, the Argentine could look to his academy and unleash centre-back Josh Brooking into the senior setup.
Josh Brooking’s style of play
Brooking is a central defender who has been a part of Chelsea’s academy set-up since 2018.
The 21-year-old impressed across 14 Premier League 2 appearances last term and although he missed the beginning of this campaign, the youngster has since had a positive impact on the side.
He scored a tremendous solo effort against one of the league's best sides, Manchester City, which demonstrated his pace, athleticism, ball control as well as his presence of mind to slot past the City 'keeper.
Having displayed elegance and confidence with his ability to carry the ball long distances, Brooking’s wonderful goal and sensational performance drew high praise from head coach Mark Robinson.
He told Chelsea’s official website: “Josh has come back into the group to add some experience as well as keep him developing after not going out on loan this past window.
“When we went five months unbeaten last season, Josh was absolutely pivotal to that run both in his performances and leadership skills. He showed that again with a quality performance.”
Dubbed by journalist Antonio Mango as “brilliant” for his display against the Citizens, Brooking is both physically imposing out of possession and a Rolls-Royce in possession; two qualities that are a staple of any modern-day defender.
If he can continue to deliver consistent performances in Premier League 2, he could become the latest Chelsea academy graduate to earn a chance in the first team, following in the footsteps of Colwill in recent times.
Levi Colwill’s statistics 23/24
Colwill has been at the Chelsea academy since the age of nine, rapidly rising through the underage groups.
Like many youngsters at Stamford Bridge, he was loaned out to Huddersfield in 2021/22 where he played a vital role in them reaching the play-offs before starring on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion last term.
Roberto De Zerbi labelled his development on the South Coast as “fantastic” and he has since carried that across to west London, becoming an instrumental figure across Pochettino’s back line.
The 20-year-old has been in fine form for the Blues this term as Gareth Southgate awarded him his senior England debut in the 1-0 win over Australia.
A titan – described as “having everything” by none other than Rio Ferdinand – Colwill’s confidence and composure on the ball is akin to the former, establishing himself as one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the league since making his Blues debut against Liverpool.
He places within the top 6% against his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues in the past year for shot-creating actions, top 15% for progressive carries, top 11% for passes into the final third and top 23% for progressive passes, as per FBref.
Colwill’s skill in possession has been complimented by his ability to read the game and come out on top against quality attackers in the battle of pace, strength and aggression.
At the age of 20, he has everything in his locker to become an elite defender in world football and Pochettino’s faith in youth could see him name a defensive duo of Blues academy graduates, Colwill and Brooking, in the not-so-distant future.