Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino expressed concern over the prolonged absence of Romeo Lavia, whom he acknowledged as a “supposed to be a very good player,” after their 2-2 draw against Brentford.
Despite initially taking the lead through Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea found themselves trailing 2-1 in the second half as the home team mounted a comeback. Axel Disasi’s late header salvaged a point, leaving Chelsea in the 11th position in the Premier League, with proximity to the relegation zone rather than the top four.
Pochettino deviated from his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation to a 3-5-2 setup during the game. He clarified that this tactical shift wasn’t an imitation of Brentford’s formation but a necessity due to the prolonged absence of midfielders like Lavia.
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The manager explained, “We needed to provide the midfield with the possibility not to cover too much distance. [Conor] Gallagher didn’t start against Leeds because he was very, very tired. Players like Lavia, who was supposed to be a very good player, and of course Lesley Ugochukwu, are injured. We don’t have the possibility to refresh players in key areas. That is why we opted to help them with another center-back,” Pochettino stated in his post-match press conference.