Chelsea’s teamsheet for tonight’s Monday Night Football game against Everton is out, and there are two interesting names buried deep on the bench.
Mauricio Pochettino said in his press conference last Friday that there were bound to be chances for academy players tonight thanks to the ongoing injury issues, and he has been true to his word and called up a couple of new faces from Cobham.
17 year old midfielder Kiano Dyer and 18 year old attacker Tyrique George both make the bench for tonight’s game, and will be hoping they can go one better and get on the pitch at some point.
George in particular looks like a rising star, and perhaps the most prodigiously talented attacking wide player to come from the academy since Callum Hudson-Odoi. His problem is that Deivid Washington, Carney Chukquemeka and even Cesare Casadei are also there sitting on the bench, with more experience and more expectation to play.
Slim chance of minutes
Now before anyone gets too excited, we should all remember that Mauricio Pochettino has handed out a lot more bench slots than he has actual appearances on the pitch for young players this season. Whether it’s because of instructions from the boardroom, or whether it’s just because he really is desperately chasing a result at all times, the vast majority of these selections have not led even to a cameo.
Pochettino himself has described them as “rewards,” and while we’re sure being on a Premier League bench for the first time is nice for a player, it’s not going to come close to actually getting on the pitch.
If we are 3-0 up and there are just a couple of minutes to go, maybe Pochettino will break his habit and treat us all. It’s the kind of thing that will go a long way to endearing him to the fans.
