Chelsea: Mudryk now ‘under pressure' after Pochettino demand at Stamford Bridge

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·6. Oktober 2023

Chelsea: Mudryk now ‘under pressure' after Pochettino demand at Stamford Bridge

Highlights

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is "under pressure" to perform at Stamford Bridge.
The Ukraine international has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but has seen an improvement in his performances in recent weeks, bagging his first goal in Monday evening's 2-0 victory at Fulham.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are gearing up for their trip to face Burnley this weekend.

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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is “under pressure” to show he deserves his place in the Stamford Bridge outfit’s starting XI, as journalist Paul Brown provides GIVEMESPORT with an internal verdict on improvements required at the club.

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Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted with the talent’s display in the Blues’ 2-0 victory at Fulham this week.

On Monday evening, Chelsea travelled to local rivals Fulham, under pressure to earn a result with a strong performance, having only succeeded in beating Luton Town in the Premier League this season. The Blues sat three points behind their fellow west London counterparts, just two points above the relegation zone, albeit having only played six games this season.

But Chelsea came out of the traps early on, with Armando Broja relieved to see the offside flag go up against him, having missed a golden opportunity to give Pochettino’s side an early lead. In the 18th minute, Chelsea, Pochettino and Mudryk will have breathed a huge sigh of relief when the 22-year-old bagged his first goal for the club, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead.

The Blues immediately doubled their advantage through Broja before seeing out the first half and remainder of the game to secure a 2-0 victory.

Mudryk hasn’t had an easy ride since signing for close to £89m from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. Despite being the apple of most of Europe’s eye during the winter transfer window, the Ukraine international has struggled to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge. Mudryk had provided just two assists in 23 appearances before Monday’s trip to Craven Cottage, becoming a figure of fun for supporters of rival clubs.

Journalist Ben Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that the young talent had developed strong relationships with Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson to enable the wide man to begin to enjoy his football in the capital. And it seems to have paid dividends, having finally hit the back of the net in a game which Pochettino will hope represents a turning point for the club this season.

Mudryk is one of many ‘under pressure’ at Chelsea – Paul Brown

Brown suggests that Mudryk is not the only player under pressure to begin performing at a consistent level at Chelsea. The journalist also believes the winger had began to improve before his first goal on Monday evening. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think when you buy younger talent. It needs time to grow. It needs patience from coaches and fans. I think a lot of these players will improve and get better. But as Pochettino says, Chelsea don't have much time. They need to be winning matches now. So, I think Mudryk is just one of many at Chelsea who are under pressure to perform and must show they deserve a place in the team. He's improved over the last few weeks. I think he's starting to find his feet. I think he has given them a couple of good performances and shown that he's got a few more strings to his bow than we thought. I think he's looked very lively recently and found a new lease of life, and hopefully, he can kick on from here.”

What next for Chelsea and Mudryk?

One dampener on Monday evening was Mudryk’s half-time substitution, thought to be caused by injury following an impressive first-half display.

After the game, Pochettino revealed the £100,000 per-week earner had felt something in his quad but hopes he will be fit for Saturday’s trip to Burnley. The Argentine head coach told Chelsea’s official website:

“He felt something in his quad, which we need to assess. He didn’t feel comfortable to keep playing. We hope it’s not a big issue, we hope it’s nothing big, and he can be available for Saturday.”

Chelsea will fancy their chances of making it two wins from two before the season’s second international break at Turf Moor. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side have struggled at home this term, winning none of their games at Saturday’s venue.

Chelsea return from the international break with a home fixture against another local rival, when Brentford visit Stamford Bridge on 28th October. The Blues hope to avenge a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Bees from last term, hoping to hit their stride before the unforgiving winter months.

Pochettino’s side begin November with a Carabao Cup last-16 tie with Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers, representing an opportunity of silverware for the west London giants. Therefore, Pochettino and Mudryk hope that Monday night’s events mark the beginning of Chelsea’s return to top form as they aim to secure qualification for European football next term.