Mauricio Pochettino must now build his Chelsea side around 20-year-old after his display last night – opinion

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Mauricio Pochettino will have been the happiest man in West London yesterday as his Chelsea side finally returned to winning ways.

The Blues beat Brighton 1-0 in the EFL Cup last night, with the Seagulls fielding a strong team in a competitive affair.

The manager turned up to the game more than four hours before kick-off, with the must-win nature not lost on anyone despite it not being a Premier League match.

One of those will have been Marc Cucurella, who was playing out of position on the right of defence in the absence of any recognised first-team options.

Also in defence, Levi Colwill continued his run of starting every single game for the club so far since returning from his loan spell with last night’s opponents.

He has spent the majority of the campaign playing in a left-back role, which he is able to do despite having very little experience of it at the top level.

Pochettino must build around Colwill

This has seen him performing well, although supporters have been feeling as if there is more to come from the 20-year-old.

Last night saw him at the heart of defence in the absence of Thiago Silva, and even though he cannot offer the same level of experience as the Brazil international, he showed he can have the entire backline built around him.

The biggest conundrum for the manager should be who he selects to partner Colwill every week. Axel Disasi and Silva have featured in every game so far this season.

The Frenchman has impressed under the radar this season, while Silva still has plenty to give despite finally showing signs he is past his best.

There will also be the returning Benoit Badiashile to find minutes for too, with there being plenty of excitement about him coming back into the fold.