Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino didn’t shy away from criticizing Mykhailo Mudryk despite the Ukrainian scoring a goal in the Blues’ FA Cup victory over Leeds United. The clash at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea facing Daniel Farke’s side in the fifth round of the tournament.
However, an early mishap in their attempt to play from the back led to conceding a goal within the first eight minutes.
Nevertheless, Nicolas Jackson equalized just seven minutes later after a splendid collaboration involving the Senegalese forward, Noni Madueke, and Moises Caicedo. Later in the first half, Mykhailo Mudryk found the net, marking his fifth goal of the season.
Although Leeds forward Mateo Joseph scored a brace in the second half, Conor Gallagher’s 90th-minute winner secured Chelsea’s spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
In the post-match press conference, Pochettino pinpointed an area of Mudryk’s game that requires improvement, despite his goal against Leeds. He emphasized the importance of Mudryk understanding that football is a team sport and that individual talent must serve the collective effort.
Pochettino remarked, “Mudryk has amazing talent. But he needs to understand that football is a collective sport. You put your talent in the service of the team. For that, you need time. [But] it’s not only Mudryk.” Acknowledging the young age of several players, Pochettino stressed the importance of maintaining positional discipline, pressing, and hard work.
He concluded, “There are a few other players because they are so young. They [sometimes] forget they need to recover their position, press, and work hard. Of course, it is important he scored to build his confidence.”
Next up, Chelsea will face Brentford in the Premier League at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
