Nkunku was effective in either the central striker or the attacking midfielder role, playing either in front of or behind the “number nine” position held by Nicolas Jackson. Because of his passion for finding and exploiting space, the Frenchman was able to effortlessly float around the field and serve as a dependable focal point off of which Chelsea’s forwards could bounce.
There were instances that demonstrated that Nkunku was still getting used to life on his new side, but that is to be expected given the circumstances. The 25-year-old’s ability to find an open teammate and score a goal, however, remained unchanged despite his injury; this is one of the areas in which Chelsea has struggled since he was sidelined.
Nkunku appeared to be developing a real rapport with fellow attacking recruit Jackson, who finished the pre-season with two goals and three assists. Jackson also managed to score during the pre-season. Although the international player from France wasn’t directly involved in all of those moves, his influence on defenders and the confidence he instills in those around him will undoubtedly have played a role in the outcome.
The reason why Chelsea decided to sign Nkunku was because they wanted to make him a crucial part of their puzzle, and for a few short weeks, it appeared as though they had made a brilliant move.
How Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to the injury that Nkunku sustained
This is the heart of the matter here. Even though Jackson performed very well during the preseason, it is obvious that he is not yet mature enough to be trusted to direct the offense for the team. Because Raheem Sterling, who is now 28 years old and had a hot streak at the beginning of this season, it only lasted for two games before the veteran forward went back into his slump, Chelsea does not have anyone who can do that.
Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of the team, has given up on finding a solution and has thrown away everything that was good about the preseason in order to focus on finding a replacement for Nkunku, who was the only player on the team who deserved to be trusted to provide a cutting edge.
Pochettino is putting more of an emphasis on defense because there are legitimate concerns that Chelsea will no longer outscore their opponents. Levi Colwill, who is a center back by trade and cannot be expected to bomb up and down the wing like Ben Chilwell did, has replaced attack-minded Ben Chilwell at left-back. Colwill has taken over the position after Chilwell was benched. Pochettino knows that if the opposing team scores once, they are probably going to win until somebody else steps up as a reliable orchestrator of Chelsea’s attack. He is there to try to stop Chelsea from conceding goals because Pochettino knows that if the opposing side scores once, they are probably going to win.
Pochettino used Chilwell as a winger in the early games of the season as part of a desperate search for movement and attacking intelligence. The manager clearly, and correctly, believes that the left back’s running makes him one of the team’s biggest threats.
The issue that arises, however, is that Chilwell is not an attacker in any sense of the word. Because the manager no longer has faith in his own experiment, Chilwell has been moved to the bench, and Colwill will continue to play in the back line. Any positive results brought about by his tactical switch were only ever going to last for a short period of time. Colwill is doing an outstanding job, but he shouldn’t even be in this position because it’s not the right fit for him.
Carney Chukwuemeka was asked to play in the Nkunku role early in the season. The 19-year-old threatened to give Chelsea fans a good time when he scored against West Ham United; however, the young player picked up his own injury, which sent Mauricio Pochettino back to the drawing board once again.
Enzo Fernandez, who had performed admirably in a more central role in the opening game of the season against Liverpool before being moved up to the number 10 position in recent weeks, was then given the keys to the team. Although the Argentine is a fantastic passer, he does not presently possess the mobility or the impact in the penalty box that top-tier teams require from their attacking midfielder.
As a result, it should not have come as a surprise to see Chelsea spend the final week of the transfer window looking for another forward who could play in the 10 position naturally. The Blues ultimately decided to take a chance on Cole Palmer, who has undoubtedly impressed in cameo appearances. However, the idea of putting all that trust in a 21-year-old player who had only 489 minutes of experience in the Premier League prior to his big money arrival has made some fans nervous.
Pochettino is looking for a solution, but he is clearly aware that the pressure will significantly increase with each passing week and the seemingly inevitable on-pitch disappointment that comes with it. Despite the fact that he hasn’t found a solution yet, he is clearly aware of this fact. His current priority is preventing losses rather than gaining victories in competitions.
What are some things that Chelsea can do to change the situation?