Paul Merson would not be surprised to see Mauricio Pochettino unleash Mykhailo Mudryk when Chelsea take on Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this Saturday.
Mykhailo Mudryk has found a bit of form for both club and country lately, and Merson has written in his Sky Sports column that he thinks Mauricio Pochettino may now consider starting him in the London derby against the Gunners.
The 22-year-old scored his first goal for Chelsea earlier this month, which came in another London derby versus Fulham, and also opened up his account for Ukraine with an excellent solo strike against Malta.
He will now be hoping to carry this form into the game with Arsenal at the weekend.
Mauricio Pochettino could unleash Mykhailo Mudryk against Arsenal
Merson expects Mudryk to be in Pochettino’s thinking ahead of Saturday.
In his Sky Sports column, the former Arsenal player wrote: “He scored the other week against Fulham but was then out of the team against Burnley, which doesn’t help him. Suddenly, he was on the bench, but he probably just needs a run.
“He was also on the scoresheet for Ukraine in midweek which will further boost his confidence, and Pochettino may think unleashing him on Arsenal is a gamble worth taking.”
Should Mykhailo Mudryk start against Arsenal?
It depends on who Pochettino has available and what system he wants to go with.
Cole Palmer recently had to leave the England U21s squad because of injury, but if the 21-year-old is fit, you would expect both him and Raheem Sterling to start out wide.
They were excellent last time out, with both players getting their name on the scoresheet in Chelsea’s 4-1 win against Burnley just before the international break.
It may be possible for Pochettino to get all three of Mudryk, Palmer and Sterling into the team, perhaps in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
However, that is quite attacking and the Argentine has had a bit of success recently using a 4-3-3 with Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher all playing in the middle. That may be the best way to go, especially against tough opposition like Arsenal.
Ultimately, then, using Mudryk from off the bench is probably a better idea for this game.
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