Chelsea predicted starting lineup vs Tottenham as Pochettino makes Nicolas

Mauricio Pochettino has some big decisions to make ahead of taking on Tottenham, when he returns to north London for the first time since taking over the Blues

Marc Cucurella, Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea during a training session

Mauricio Pochettino may face his stiffest test as Chelsea boss on Monday, as he travels across London to take on his former side with the Blues. Tottenham sit top of the Premier League and undefeated in the competition after 10 games, with the west London side in the bottom half of the table.

Pochettino will hope that his side do not languish there too long, and while he is happy to see his former team doing well, the 51-year-old will be desperate to wrestle some momentum into Chelsea’s season with a landmark win. Big decisions await after the likes of Reece James stepped up his recovery against Blackburn while Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill were rested from the starting lineup.

The Blues boss explained: “Yes I think it was good for him to start a game after a few months. For the team, because he’s our captain, he’s a very important player. Now we need to assess him to see if he’s ready to start or not on Monday.”

Up front too, Chelsea’s head coach will have the difficult choice of whether to immediately reintegrate Mykhailo Mudryk, and drop Nicolas Jackson, given the success the Blues had without a forward against Arsenal in October. Pochettino does have faith that Chelsea’s forward play will improve however.

He said on Friday: “You can feel we are improving, progressing, it is part of the process, part of the project, it is normal when you have young players who arrive at a club like Chelsea and the demand is high from the beginning. The demand and the competition doesn’t wait for you.

“You need to put all the details, come from a different league, a young guy and put pressure on you. That is why it is about the process I am not worried, I am not concerned about that because we know what we are doing and we are going to perform and translate our performances into good results.”

football.london takes a look at who Pochettino could start against the Lilywhites.

Robert Sanchez
The Spaniard kept his place against Blackburn so there appears little possibility of the goalkeeper losing his place any time soon.
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The Spaniard kept his place against Blackburn so there appears little possibility of the goalkeeper losing his place any time soon.

An easy decision if Chelsea’s captain is fit and ready to kick on. If not, Malo Gusto should be the preferred option to pose Tottenham’s left side some issues.
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An easy decision if Chelsea’s captain is fit and ready to kick on. If not, Malo Gusto should be the preferred option to pose Tottenham’s left side some issues.

Preferable to see the Frenchman in the centre of defence and he has formed the most consistent partnership of the season with Thiago Silva
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Preferable to see the Frenchman in the centre of defence and he has formed the most consistent partnership of the season with Thiago Silva

Set to come straight into the side having been rested from the squad completely against Blackburn.

Pochettino may look for some additional security on the left despite Marc Cucurella’s good form.

The midfielder could have a busy night trying to keep James Maddison quiet.

The World Cup winner can hopefully continue to build his relationship with Caicedo and flourish against Tottenham.

Had a quieter night against Blackburn but has been a strong contender for Chelsea’s player of the season.

Could cause Spurs some real issues down their left hand side and has been a promising creative outlet for the Blues.

The winger remains Chelsea’s most impactful forward at breaking into the box to create an opportunity.

The Senegal forward could have more success against Tottenham’s high line, and is perhaps more likely to start than Mykhailo Mudryk given the Ukraine international has only recently returned to training. Mudryk provides an interesting alternative that could see Gallagher and Palmer pressing through the middle however.