Which Chelsea players could suit Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play?

Chelsea have agreed terms with Mauricio Pochettino to become their new head coach, which means there is going to be a lot of talk about clean slates. With all that noted, The Athletic has taken a look at who in this Chelsea squad could be particularly well suited to Pochettino’s style of play. It is also worth remembering that none of the players mentioned below are as bad as they look during a season of crisis at Stamford Bridge… First of all, what is Pochettino’s style of play? In five years as coach of Tottenham Hotspur, his preferred formation for delivering this style was 4-2-3-1, as you can see in the graphic below: During his much shorter stint in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino adapted to the presence of superstars Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi by shifting to 4-3-3: For the purposes of what could be expected at Chelsea, it is Pochettino’s time at Tottenham that feels more relevant — not least because the squad he will inherit at Stamford Bridge lacks the individual star power of PSG. At Spurs in 2014, his group included Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Christian Eriksen, Ben Davies and Eric Dier, all 24 or younger — an age profile that chimes with a talented potential Chelsea core who have their peak years still ahead of them: Switching to four at the back would present a significant shift for this Chelsea squad away from the 3-4-2-1 system favoured by Thomas Tuchel and, largely, by Graham Potter.