Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea have been decimated by injuries this season (Photo: Getty)
Mauricio Pochettino has bemoaned the absence of Romeo Lavia, who he says is ‘supposed to be a very good player’, following Chelsea’s draw at Brentford.
Chelsea took the lead at the G-tech Community Stadium on Saturday through Nicolas Jackson, but fell 2-1 behind in the second-half after a stunning turnaround from the home side.
Axel Disasi scored late on to rescue a point, which leaves the Blues 11th in the Premier League, closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
This latest results heaps even more pressure on Pochettino who was jeered and told to ‘f*** off’ by fans during the match.
Unusually, the manager opted to change formation for this match, switching from his favoured 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2.
Pochettino claimed he was not matching up against Brentford as first thought and said that he was forced to make the change because of the continued absence of midfieders like Lavia.
‘It was to try and provide the team a different way to play and to have an alternative in the way to use,’ the Argentine explained in his post-match press conference
Romeo Lavia has played just 32 minutes since signing for Chelsea for £53m (Photo: Getty)
‘We needed to provide the midfield the possibility not to cover too much distance. [Conor] Gallagher didn’t start against Leeds because he was very, very tired.
‘Because players like Lavia was supposed to be a very good player, and of course Lesley Ugochukwu.
‘They are injured and we don’t have the possibility to refresh players that are in a key area. That is why to help them with another centre-back.
More Trending
‘It’s always keeping our ideas going forward, but to try and provide them with more solid and the differences in transition and gives them more freedom and not too much responsibility.’
Lavia signed for Chelsea from Southampton last summer in a deal worth an initial £53million, but so far the 20-year-old has to be considered one of the worst signings of the season.
That is because he has played just 32 minutes of football all campaign thanks to a variety of injuries, though he could be back soon, while Ugochukwu is ruled out for the season with a hamstring issue.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Chelsea news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.