I know I’m writing this in vain because I don’t believe for a minute that Mauricio Pochettino will line up like this on Saturday.
But I honestly think that if you don’t even think about lining up this way then you are 100% missing a trick.
For me, Nicolas Jackson is not the number 9. His role is that of a second striker or striker, but he is not what we need as a number 9. I think he can improve and he has a lot of promise, but I don’t see him as a true 9.
Armando Broja just doesn’t look at it right now for some reason.
Chelsea have Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling returning from suspension for Saturday’s away game at Luton Town. And Mykhailo Mudryk must continue to start games with his confidence growing.
Needless to say, if Christopher Nkunku is fully fit, he will have to start games for us.
Pochettino has unfairly ignored Noni Madueke and deserves to start on Saturday for his final two cameos.
That said, be bold and start with a front four with Madueke on the right, Mudryk on the left, Nkunku as a 10 and Palmer as a false 9, as some of you have also mentioned lately.
Before anyone freaks out about using a fake 9, let me explain the rationale behind this.
Firstly, Palmer HAS played false 9 many times in his youth career and it is a position he can play now in the Premier League. He has a good finish and is quite instinctive. I also think he is better when he plays center back instead of being isolated on the right. When he plays on the right, his movement when he has the ball becomes too predictable (he will always go inside). Madueke, although he is also left-footed, can go inside or towards the back line, and we need that flexibility on our flanks.
With Malo Gusto overlapping Madueke, it would give him space and freedom to be a key attacker for us and be direct.
Back to Palmer though, as a false 9, he’ll obviously come in and play some one-touch links with Nkunku behind him, and the pair can swap.
For me, Nkunku is best as a 10, and he needs to be in that central position to really affect the game too, as does Palmer. So let them play center stage and watch them shine.
Mudryk, as I said earlier, simply needs to start again on Saturday and to me that’s not even a debate. If Mudryk comes out for Raheem Sterling, who has been poor in the last few games he has played, then I will lose him completely. Mudryk is a confident player and now he is taking full advantage of that. Put him alongside smart players like Nkunku and Palmer, who will play to Mudryk’s strengths with quick touches and creativity, then that will really help all three of them.
This attack for me would be devastating if all four played at the level we know they can play. I would trust us much more to score goals with this bottom line-up than with any other line-up, at least in attack.
Obviously many will see this as contradictory because I have been very explicit about Levi Colwill not being a left back. But, when you take away Axel Disasi’s height and physique, I think you do need Colwill’s presence on the field. Furthermore, with Mudryk operating close to Nkunku, the lack of an overlapping winger won’t be a huge mistake. We must also be attentive to Luton on the counterattack and in turnovers. So having Levi there as a defensive back would allow Gusto to be the offensive back.
I also think that when we use those four attackers, who are very offensive-minded players, then you need that coverage.
But believe me, I don’t want to see Levi as a left back moving forward, I guess it’s a necessity when Silva is starting because he’s not the same height as the other centre-backs.
Anyway, none of this will matter because we all know there is zero chance of Pochettino lining up this way and Sterling, Disasi and Jackson are starting 100%! But like I say, if you ignore this, you’re really missing a trick on Saturday.
They have also called me to play with a defense of three for now, I wouldn’t be adverse to that at all. But I don’t think a three-back formation allows you to get all four attackers on the field (unless you use Mudryk and Madueke as full-backs and no one needs to see it), and that’s what I really want. to see.
