Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Ben Chilwell is likely to play against Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow.
Ben Chilwell has started Chelsea’s last two games on the bench and while Mauricio Pochettino stopped short of saying he will be in the first XI on Wednesday evening, it looks like the left-back will at least get some minutes on the pitch.
Speaking ahead of the Blues’ third round Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, Pochettino told the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella and other reporters: “I am so happy with Levi [Colwill] in the way he is playing [at left-back] and he is providing very good balance. I think Chilwell is going to play and I think tomorrow he is going to play.”
It will now be interesting to see where the 26-year-old will play.
This season, he has been used further up the pitch, with Colwill taking his usual left-back position.
Ben Chilwell should start at left-back against Brighton
If Pochettino is planning to restore Chilwell to his first XI for the visit of Brighton, then he should put him at left-back.
Chelsea are at home and the Carabao Cup probably represents their best chance of winning silverware this season. It would be a major blow to get knocked out at this stage.
With that in mind, Pochettino should start an actual winger on the left side of the Blues’ attack, someone like Mykhailo Mudryk or Noni Madueke.
If he does not and goes with Chilwell there instead, then the former Paris Saint-Germain boss is just reducing the threat of Chelsea’s forward line in an elimination game where there has to be a winner. His side have to attack so Chilwell needs to drop back into the left-back position if he is playing.
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