Three players that must stay at Chelsea for Pochettino’s plan to work.
According to Neville, the two players are Reece James and Ben Chilwell as he added that they must remain fit following their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.
Recall that James and Chilwell went off with knocks in the second half of the game at Stamford Bridge.
It is no news that the two defenders have struggled for form and fitness in recent seasons, and Neville says they are crucial to how Pochettino wants to set up his team.
“What we’ve seen [on Sunday] is that Chelsea have fantastic wing-backs but they’ve both gone off, first game of the season.
“That will destroy Pochettino’s plans. If you’re going to play wing-backs, they have to be outstanding players of high quality, who attack like wingers and defend like full-backs, and they have that.
“But the big question mark is if those two can stay fit. Those wing-backs are crucial and if they lose them the whole thing could fall apart a little,” Neville said.
One other name to add to the list is Thiago Silva. His first game vs Liverpool showed that the veteran is not close to retirement anytime soon, and that age is just a number. With just a year left on his contract, Chelsea could be looking to find a long-term replacement for him.
Chelsea's defense is currently composed of a list of young defenders. With Thiago Silva leading the defense line given his age and experience, the Blues' backline will be even more solid, hence he remains an unsellable asset to the team.
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