Chelsea produced their best moment of the season on Tuesday night when they booked their semi-final Carabao Cup tickets at the expense of Newcastle United.
Mauricio Pochettino played his strongest possible XI, including four centre-backs across Chelsea’s backline.
This is despite having natural right-back, Malo Gusto, on the bench, with Jamie Redknapp raising concerns with that call.
Malo Gusto hasn’t started a game since October, and following Mauricio Pochettno’s latest call, Jamie Redknapp suggested that the Chelsea boss doesn’t rate him and ‘it shows you what he thinks about him’, as he told Sky Sports Football (19/12/23 at 7:10 pm).
With Malo Gusto benched, it was Axel Disasi who started at right-back and he faired well when coming up against the threat of Anthony Gordon.
At half-time, the £27 million signing was given some much-needed minutes, but rather than come in at right-back, he replaced Levi Colwill instead.
In the end, it was the right-backs who had a major say in Chelsea booking their semi-final ticket, with Kieran Trippier’s error in stoppage-time taking the game to penalties, before the Newcastle skipper proceeded to miss his own spot-kick on the way to Chelsea winning.
Malo Gusto benched by Mauricio Pochettino
On Pochettino picking four centre-halves: “He hasn’t got a choice really,” said Redknapp.
“Normally, you would want to go with Reece James and Ben Chilwell, (but they are injured).
On playing Gusto at RB: “He could do that. But I guess it shows you what he thinks about it him.”
A much-needed win for Mauricio Pochettino
Life isn’t going as Pochettino would have wanted on the Premier League stage, with his team sitting tenth in the table.
At the rate Chelsea are going, there is every chance, for the second season running, they will miss out on European football.
That’s why this win and ticket to the semi-final was crucial because it allows something for their under-fire manager to hold onto.
A chance for Chelsea to win a trophy and showcase that he can lift silverware in England, after going empty-handed during his days at Tottenham.
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