The French expert criticized the Chelsea coach, whose words about the Ukrainian winger could harm Mikhail’s self-confidence
Ex-footballer Chelsea Emmanuelle Petit doubted that the words of the Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettinosaid about Mikhail Mudrik after the match with Bournemouth (0:0) will benefit the Ukrainian.
“Mudryk is not the only one who is struggling in this team, so focusing on him in the press will not help him at all because he does not play with confidence. He’ll be thinking, ‘Why is my manager saying I don’t understand how I should play in the Premier League?'” Petit said.
“This is a bad sign for Mudryk and I am almost sure that in the next match against Aston Villa he will be on the bench. “The next time Pochettino says something like that, he should look at the other players because the Bournemouth game was not Mudryk’s fault.”
“You can see from foreign players in the Premier League that they can struggle, not many of them do well straight away. The physical demands, including speed, are enormous, you only have a second or two to think before getting the ball. It’s a paradox because Mudryk’s qualities include speed and power on the ball, but he struggles.”
“Mudryk always plays with his back to the goal, instead he should run towards it, like Jeremy Doku did in the Manchester City match against West Ham. He received the ball, turned around and ran towards the opponent – and scored! Mudryk doesn’t do this, despite his speed,” concluded the Frenchman.
Let us remind you that on September 17, Chelsea played away to Bournemouth in a goalless draw. 22-year-old Mudrik made his first start of the season, received a yellow card and was replaced in the 63rd minute. In the first half of the meeting, Mikhail had two good breakthroughs with sharp passes, but both times Conor Gallagher let him down at the finishing stage, not allowing his partner to score an assist.
After the match, Pochettino spoke separately about the Ukrainian’s performance. According to the coach, “The Premier League is very fast,” and Mikhail “needs to understand the game better, sometimes try to be more connected with the team.”
Mudryk has been playing for the London club since January 2023. The Ukrainian has not yet scored a single goal for the Blues – only two assists in the 21st match.
Chelsea are in 14th place in the Premier League standings with five points. In the next round of the English Championship, Chelsea will play against Aston Villa on September 24.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
