Chelsea should drop Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, says Frank Leboeuf
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Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk heads the ball during the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals against Middlesbrough.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – From one Cup competition to another, Chelsea will hope to continue the good momentum despite languishing in mid-table in the English Premier League.
The Blues thrashed second-tier Middlesbrough 6-1 in the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals
Villa are flying high in the league – they are tied with second-place Manchester City and third-place Arsenal on 43 points – and former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has some advice for Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite the team’s dominant win against Boro, Mykhailo Mudryk put in another erratic 45-minute display and was substituted at half-time, with Pochettino insisting it was because he was already booked rather than his poor passing.
But Leboeuf, who is now a sports commentator, believes Chelsea cannot afford the risk of playing the struggling 23-year-old winger, and midfielder Noni Madueke, 21, especially against a dangerous Villa side.
“I agree with Craig (Burley),” the Frenchman said, referring to his former Chelsea teammate’s assessment of Mudryk.
“Mudryk should go. But I will be more keen to be stronger in the midfield zone. I would put (Conor) Gallagher instead of Madueke and maybe try to be strong defensively and play on transition, try to counter-attack with (Cole) Palmer, (Raheem) Sterling and to finish hopefully with (Armando) Broja.
“Madueke is a good player, but plays with instinct instead of thinking a little bit.”
The 56-year-old Leboeuf clarified he does not think the duo are lousy players, just that they are not the right ones for what the team need at the moment.
He added: “They are talented players for the future but, right now, they are far away from what we expect of them. Gallagher will make the midfield zone stronger, so it’s why I’d go with that option. It’s a different game against Villa.”
Former Scotland midfielder Burley said that Mudryk, who has yet to live up to his €100 million (S$145.9 million) price tag, “makes too many bad decisions to be in this Chelsea side”.
The clash with Villa is set to be a tough but well-balanced match.
Chelsea have won their last three FA Cup fixtures between both sides, and have also won 40 of their last 47 home matches in this competition.
However, Villa have beaten the London side in their last two matches at Stamford Bridge, both in the Premier League.
Pochettino will be missing the injured Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu and Christopher Nkunku, while Nicolas Jackson is at the Africa Cup of Nations.
For Villa, manager Unai Emery will not have the services of Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings, while Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Jacob Ramsey and Robin Olsen are not fully fit.
Villa captain John McGinn said the team’s good form is all down to Emery’s intense training regimen.
“That doesn’t mean you need to be running about every 10 minutes doing 10 gym sessions, it means as soon as you come in through these doors, you’re working. Ever since he’s (Emery) come in, it’s been full throttle,” he said.
