Which Chelsea players could suit Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play?

(This piece has been updated to reflect the news that Chelsea are finalising a deal to appoint Mauricio Pochettino.)

Chelsea have agreed terms with Mauricio Pochettino to become their new head coach, which means there is going to be a lot of talk about clean slates.

Virtually every new coach arrives at a club with the same pledge: to jettison old squad hierarchies and pick their team purely on merit, ideally based on who impresses them most in training. With everyone duly galvanised, the new man in charge invariably enters a honeymoon period where there is no grumbling — only the grunts of a group pulling in the same direction.

The reality is more complicated than that — particularly at Chelsea this summer, where huge decisions must be made almost immediately to trim a ludicrously bloated squad. No fewer than 13 players in the group will be in the final two years of their contracts, and that does not include five loanees who also fit into that timeframe or Romelu Lukaku, whose lucrative salary will make his future a priority.

Pochettino will need to decide quickly who is in his plans and who is not, mindful of the type of team he wants to build, the wishes of some players who want a fresh start elsewhere and the business realities that will determine Chelsea’s decisions on other individuals. The co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, are determined to avoid more valuable free-agent departures in the vein of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

With all that noted, The Athletic has taken a look at who in this Chelsea squad could be particularly well suited to Pochettino’s style of play. It is also worth remembering that none of the players mentioned below are as bad as they look during a season of crisis at Stamford Bridge…

First of all, what is Pochettino’s style of play?

That particular question was answered in brilliant detail by The Athletic two years ago, but the basic principles of his tactical approach are to dominate space with a positional game, pursue numerical superiority on the pitch with purposeful possession and press with fierce intensity whenever the ball is lost.

In five years as coach of Tottenham Hotspur, his preferred formation for delivering this style was 4-2-3-1, as you can see in the graphic below:

During his much shorter stint in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino adapted to the presence of superstars Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi by shifting to 4-3-3:

For the purposes of what could be expected at Chelsea, it is Pochettino’s time at Tottenham that feels more relevant — not least because the squad he will inherit at Stamford Bridge lacks the individual star power of PSG. At Spurs in 2014, his group included Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Christian Eriksen, Ben Davies and Eric Dier, all 24 or younger — an age profile that chimes with a talented potential Chelsea core who have their peak years still ahead of them:

Switching to four at the back would present a significant shift for this Chelsea squad away from the 3-4-2-1 system favoured by Thomas Tuchel and, largely, by Graham Potter. Pochettino’s particular interpretation of 4-2-3-1, however, has a fluidity that blurs the distinctions between these formations.

One such element is his requirement for both full-backs to get forward at every opportunity and provide attacking width. This helped unlock the attacking potential of Walker, Danny Rose and, later, Kieran Trippier at Spurs, and would likely enable Ben Chilwell and Reece James to continue functioning as de facto wing-backs for long stretches of games.

Malo Gusto, purchased in January but loaned back to Lyon for the remainder of the season, should also be a good fit for this type of role on the right. Marc Cucurella’s limited attacking game on the left makes him more of a question mark, but Pochettino would have home-grown alternatives at his disposal potentially to cover for and compete with Chilwell: Lewis Hall has shown promising flashes in the first team this season, and then there is Ian Maatsen, who has spent the campaign on loan at Burnley.

The attacking ambition of Pochettino’s full-backs means his two centre-backs must be mobile and comfortable enough to defend high up the pitch with space around and behind them, as well as technically polished enough to progress the ball out of defence. His most reliable Spurs pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen also had a natural right-footed/left-footed balance which opened up a wider range of passing angles upfield.

It is easy to see how Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile could develop a similar dynamic as they mature. Both are physically imposing defenders, exceptional athletes and sound decision-makers with the ball at their feet. Cobham graduates Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah provide two other tantalising younger options, while Kalidou Koulibaly could be more suited to this formation if he is allowed to stay and try to improve upon a shaky first Chelsea season.

Thiago Silva’s personality and leadership should continue to be hugely valued, but Tuchel doubted the Brazilian’s viability in a back four at this late stage of his career and it would not be shocking if Pochettino came to the same view. Similarly, it is questionable whether this version of Cesar Azpilicueta has a place on the pitch in this particular system.

When building possession, Pochettino likes his centre-backs to split with one of his two deeper central midfielders dropping back into the middle of the defensive line. Victor Wanyama often played that role for him at Southampton and Tottenham, while Dier — a converted centre-back — was also extensively used in that position at Spurs.

Chelsea do not appear to have that exact profile of player in the squad.

Enzo Fernandez is a talented progressor of the ball from deep positions, but his expansive passing is arguably more valuable as the more advanced of Pochettino’s two central midfielders and his defensive abilities remain a little unpolished. Declan Rice, frequently cited as a potential transfer target in recent years, ticks all of the boxes from a physical, tactical and technical perspective.

West Ham captain Rice looks set to be available at the right price this summer, but it is difficult to imagine Chelsea winning the race to sign him if his best friend Mason Mount is sold. If he or another suitable midfielder cannot be acquired, Brazil Under-20 star Andrey Santos or even serial loanee Ethan Ampadu might prove viable alternatives, though both would have to be classed as early Pochettino development projects.

N’Golo Kante is good enough to play either role in Pochettino’s double pivot without being a perfect fit for either. Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher would probably slot in as the more advanced central midfielder; the Croatia international in particular has a skill set that is uncannily similar to that of former Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele. None is ideally suited to the 4-2-3-1, however, and all have varying degrees of uncertainty about their futures at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer.

Pochettino usually fielded Eriksen in his three-man creative line on the right flank. From that position, the Denmark international was encouraged to drop deeper to help control possession and supply incisive passes into the final third, or to overload the right flank and find space to whip in dangerous crosses.

The equivalent player in this Chelsea squad is Mount who, while not as consistently creative as Eriksen with his passing, is equally capable of shifting between No 8 and No 10 responsibilities during the course of a game and has already surpassed the Manchester United midfielder’s best return of 10 goals in a single Premier League season.

At times, Pochettino also went for a more conventional inverted winger on the right of his creative line at Spurs, in the form of Erik Lamela or Nacer Chadli. Hakim Ziyech will almost certainly leave Chelsea this summer after seeing his desired loan move to PSG scuppered in January, but Noni Madueke should remain an exciting option in this role.

On the left, the lightning-fast Son Heung-min was tasked with making regular direct angled runs to stretch opposition defences, as well as providing a supplementary threat attacking the penalty area with and without the ball. Christian Pulisic has occasionally shown he can do this during his unsatisfying stint with Chelsea, while Raheem Sterling built his Manchester City career on a steady diet of similar runs. But the man with game-breaking speed to rival the South Korea international is Mykhailo Mudryk, whose long-term success at Stamford Bridge will be of particular interest to Boehly and Eghbali.

Between them, Pochettino favoured a No 10 with the mindset of a second striker in the form of Dele Alli, an attacking midfielder wired to be a finisher more than an initiator of moves arriving late in the penalty area. Kai Havertz’s rare blend of attributes has been crying out for him to be used like this ever since he signed for Chelsea three years ago, while Christopher Nkunku is arriving from an RB Leipzig side who deployed him in a similar “nine-and-a-half” role. Joao Felix might also be well suited to it, but the rationale for Boehly and Eghbali to make his loan move permanent at vast expense looks increasingly dubious.

With the full-backs pushing up high, one central midfielder dropping between the two centre-backs and one creator dropping back into midfield, it becomes easier to see how Pochettino’s interpretation of 4-2-3-1 might easily morph into something like a 3-4-2-1 as circumstances change on the pitch.

At both ends of his team, Pochettino’s approach blends the modern and the traditional.

His goalkeepers need to be adept at distributing both short and long with their feet, as well as having the speed and agility to sweep up outside their area (an aspect that Hugo Lloris particularly excelled at in his prime). Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy both have weaknesses in these areas, and Chelsea are expected to prioritise the signing of a new goalkeeper this summer.

David Raya could be a particularly enticing target as he enters the final year of his Brentford contract, while Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is well-known to Chelsea goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts. Both are closer to the profile of modern goalkeeper that Pochettino values.

Up front, Pochettino teams have generally functioned best with a true focal point No 9, whether it be Rickie Lambert at Southampton or Kane at Spurs. Interestingly, Kane and Romelu Lukaku are listed as statistically similar players on data website FBref. The Belgian does not have the No 10 skill set that the England captain has cultivated over the second half of his career but comparisons can be made in how they score their goals.

The key question is whether Lukaku is open to returning to Chelsea.

If he is, the need for Chelsea to spend big on a new No 9 will drop down the priority list, even as talented prospect Armando Broja — closer in age to the version of Kane that Pochettino inherited — feels his way back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Chelsea already have most of the raw materials to construct a Pochettino team, with the only possible areas of reinforcement being in goal, defensive midfield and up front. Next season would more likely be a bigger test of his man-management, even if significant progress is made this summer in trimming an unmanageably bloated squad.

Pochettino generally leaned on a small, very consistent core of players at Tottenham. In each of his first three seasons, at least nine players clocked up 2,000 or more Premier League minutes, though the distribution broadened out slightly in his final two full league campaigns. How much of that was out of necessity and how much was out of choice?

Chelsea are likely to go into next season with an outfield squad closer to 25 players strong than 17, almost certainly with no European football to supplement Premier League and domestic cup minutes. Pochettino famously says that when a player signs a contract at a club they do so to train rather than automatically play, but he would not be the first coach at Cobham to be blighted by disaffected stars grumbling from the sidelines.

On the pitch, Pochettino’s more consistent selection could be exactly what Chelsea need. Tuchel and Potter are tinkerers by nature, and a year of massive player recruitment — coupled with a debilitating injury crisis — robbed their teams of any semblance of continuity.

The Argentinian’s arrival will certainly carry the potential to be the start of an exciting new era at Stamford Bridge — though, as ever, that would be better news for some players than for others.

(Photos in top image: Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images; Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images; Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)