Ben Chilwell was dropped from the starting line-up in Chelsea’s last two Premier League games. So, what prompted this change? Pochettino explains his reasoning.
Mykhaylo Mudryk’s return and Levi Colwill’s performances as a left-back are the reasons why Ben Chilwell is currently out of favor at Chelsea.
Chilwell had a solid start to the season, starting in all four of Chelsea’s opening games. The Englishman was the captain in three of the matches. Yet, in the club’s last two Premier League outings against Bournemouth and Aston Villa, he came on as a substitute.
Mauricio Pochettino instead favored starting the returning Mudryk as a winger to get pace and running into his XI, while keeping Colwill, nominally a center-half, as a left-back.
“I am so happy with Levi and the way he is playing. He is showing character and is providing the team with a very good balance,” the Chelsea manager said of Colwill at a press conference on Tuesday.
On Chilwell’s absence from the XI, Pochettino noted that he utilized Chilwell out of position due to his history as a winger earlier in the season.
“We were using him [Chilwell] maybe not in his best position because he was a winger,” the Argentine said.
“That is why after we started to play with a winger like Mischa, when he recovered, our thought was to keep Levi in the position.”
That said, Chilwell could be back in the team for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fixture against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
“I think Chilly is going to have the possibility to play, I think tomorrow he is going to play,” Pochettino added.
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