Poch must drop Chelsea’s 6/10 star who lost the ball 20 times vs Leeds

It doesn’t matter how Chelsea pick up their wins at the moment, so long as they do, with a trip to Brentford to come later today.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues beat fierce rivals Leeds United on Wednesday night to progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but it was hardly a vintage performance.

The west Londoners went behind early on before pulling one back of their own and relied upon a 90th-minute winner from Conor Gallagher to get them over the line.

While there were a few decent performers on the night, such as Enzo Fernández and Gallagher, there were plenty of underwhelming ones, with Noni Madueke being one of them.

Noni Madueke’s performance in numbers

Now, the former PSV Eindhoven winger didn’t start in Chelsea’s League Cup Final defeat at the weekend, but he has started two of the previous four league games, although he was hooked at half-time on both occasions.

While his form certainly doesn’t suggest he should’ve been starting against the Peacocks, his performance away to Aston Villa in the last round, where he picked up an assist, was probably the reason he did get the nod.

Unfortunately for Pochettino and Madueke, it was a decision that backfired, as he was practically anonymous during his 61 minutes of action.

This sentiment was echoed by the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who gave the Barnet-born attacker a 4/10 on the night and described him as ‘ineffective and rushed in the final third’ and his overall display as ‘having made little impression.’

While that might sound harsh, it’s an assessment backed up by the numbers, as during his time on the pitch, the 21-year-old managed just two shots, which were off target, 26 passes, zero key passes, and he missed one big chance.

Simply put, it wasn’t a performance worthy of starting this afternoon against the Bees, and it’s doubtful that Poch will give him that opportunity. However, one of the other starters on Wednesday could well start again today, which would be a mistake.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s game in numbers

Yes, the other starter from Wednesday night’s clash who probably shouldn’t start against Thomas Frank’s side is Mykhailo Mudryk, which might not be the most popular opinion given he scored on the night.

However, in a game against stronger opposition – such as against Chelsea’s London rivals this afternoon – it would make sense to bring Gallagher back into the attacking midfield role, even if it would be no surprise to see Mudryk retain his place.

Moreover, while the Ukrainian certainly wasn’t terrible against the Whites, he wasn’t brilliant either, with the Standard’s Kilpatrick giving him a 6/10 on the night, claiming that while he ‘took his goal really well’ he ‘faded and overran the ball’ in the second half.

His numbers from the game also don’t paint the picture of a player who should be starting in the Premier League this afternoon, as in his 89 minutes of action, he only completed 17 passes, was accurate in one of his five crosses, completed two of his four long balls, failed in his one attempted dribble, lost four of his five duels and lost possession 20 times.

In all, the “dribbling monster”, as U23 scout Antonio Mango described him, may have looked better in a more central role, but it wasn’t a performance good enough to displace Gallagher from the ten position – who has hit ten goal involvements this season – in the more intense top-flight matches to come.

Ultimately, Mudryk’s performance was encouraging, and perhaps Pochettino can make the most out of the situation by using him as an impact sub in central and wide areas going forward.