With the fixture coming in the middle of a busy Premier League schedule, Mauricio Pochettino might rotate the squad.
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Chelsea will kickstart their Carabao Cup duties against AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The second-round contest could end up meaning a lot for some of the club’s youngsters. With the fixture coming in the middle of a busy Premier League schedule, Mauricio Pochettino might rotate the squad. This could provide opportunities for some of the Academy prospects to show their skills.
Manager Pochettino, who spoke ahead of the contest with Wimbledon, believes it will be an exciting moment for them to be involved at Stamford Bridge for the Carabao Cup fixture. “At the moment I do not tell the names, until we give the list to them. I prefer that they know this way and don’t want to create a situation that they can be disappointed,” the Chelsea manager was quoted as saying by the club’s website.
He added: “They have not been involved before and will be on the bench first of all. If things are going well maybe they will have the possibility to play, but they will start on the bench. They are 16 or 17 and have the possibility to play at Stamford Bridge in an official competition for the first team. It’s an exciting moment for them and for their families. I know what it means for them. I think it’s fantastic for us also to feel the excitement of a young guy who is with us for the first time.”
Pochettino reckons that Chelsea are always known for bringing quality youngsters into the first team. “We had yesterday and today training with the first team and you can see their happiness. I hope that we can have this feeling for the fans and for the people for the future, we have a philosophy of the club. I think the Academy always was fantastic and we need again to reinforce, to re-energise the Academy. We believe in them because Chelsea always was famous for bringing good players into the first team,” he elaborated.
The Chelsea manager then went down the memory lane to talk about his debut with Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina and how it happened. “I remember very well, the coach was Jose Yudica. I was 17 years old and I remember it like it was today. We played an 11 v 11 training session and I kicked the captain of the first team, Gerardo Martino, who now is the coach at Inter Miami with Messi and Beckham. I remember that the captain and coach said: “what are you doing child, you’re crazy”. Martino said I couldn’t get within two metres of him again or they’d send me home!” he started.
“When we finished the training session, the coach called me over and told me I would be involved in the squad to play the derby against Rosario Central. That was one of my first training sessions and then I was involved in the squad and made my debut, playing 15 or 20 minutes. It was amazing. Then I was involved normally in the team at 17, playing more and more.”
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