Opinion

Mauricio Pochettino should now give 21-year-old Chelsea man more chances after his performance on Saturday

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There were very few positives for Mauricio Pochettino to take out of Saturday’s defeat in the West London derby against Brentford.

Instead, the 90 minutes brought back eerie memories of last season, a fate many thought had been left in the past for now.

The standout notable performer despite defeat was Cole Palmer, who showed a maturity to step up and lead the team in attack.

Chelsea FC v Brentford FC - Premier League
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

He created the majority of chances, however there seemed to be no one on site to put the ball in the back of the net at the key moments.

Another player who did impress was Noni Madueke. The England U21 star was making his first Premier League start of the season against Brentford.

He came inches away from finding the top corner early in the game when he cut in from the right and shot, a trait that has become typical of the early stages of his career.

Madueke deserves more chances

Winger options have been pretty strong so far this season, with a number of players having points to prove.

Raheem Sterling was poor on Saturday, and this has seen some call for him to be dropped for next week’s game against league leading Tottenham.

This could open up an opportunity for Madueke to start more often, as he continued to make the most of his limited time on the pitch.

One player that may have something to say about this though is Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukraine international missed Saturday’s game due to injury.

The pressures of scoring for the club are now off his shoulders, and he has looked a far better player as a result of that. It seems inevitable that he will start again when he is back fit and firing.