MAURICIO POCHETTINO has revealed his strongest Chelsea line-up ahead of the upcoming season.
Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in their final pre-season game before the start of the Premier League.
And Pochettino said after the game that the XI he started with will likely be the one we see in their Premier League opener against Liverpool.
The new Blues boss said: “This was about giving 90 minutes to the team in my head that I plan to play because the season is only 10 days away.”
The majority of the game was deadlocked at 0-0 before Dortmund right-back Marius Wolf opened the scoring in the 80th minute.
Chelsea then netted a last minute equaliser through youngster Mason Burstow.
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Despite the result, Pochettino said he was impressed with his side’s performance.
He said: “It was an exciting game. We deserved to win. But it’s not about the results. It’s about the feeling.
“There’s only one option, to be ready for the new season. I think we played really well today.”
Much of Chelsea’s summer transfer window has been dominated by what is increasingly becoming a saga over signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
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Chelsea have had two bids rejected for the midfielder, including one of £80million.
Pochettino is desperate to reinforce his midfield options after the club sold Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz this summer.
But a youthful midfield that included Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez and Carney Chukwuemeka did impress in Chicago.
Chukwuemeka arrived last summer from Aston Villa for £20m but found appearances limited under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard last season.
Chukwuemeka looks to have the trust of Pochettino, starting in the number 10 role as part of the team that will likely play against Liverpool on Chelsea’s opening day of the season.
The Blues did face an injury scare over new signing Christopher Nkunku, who was forced off the field with a knee injury in the first half.
Pochettino said “Hopefully it is not a big issue and that he can be quick with the team. We need a few days to assess him and until we get back to London it is difficult to know.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
