29 February 2024 , 10:02
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Mauricio Pochettino has urged Mykhaylo Mudryk to start playing for the team despite his goalscoring performance against Leeds.
Mudryk scored the Blues' second goal in the FA Cup fifth round clash on Wednesday night. He played 90 minutes before coming off for Jimi Tauriainen just after Conor Gallagher scored a late winner.
The winger has struggled badly since arriving in the January transfer window for £89million. He has scored just five goals and notched only five assists in his 44 appearances since joining the Blues.
One of those five strikes came on Wednesday night as he swept home to put the Blues up. But Pochettino has now demanded that the Ukrainian show more team-spirit in the future.
"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," Pochettino said.
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"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."
The hosts were forced to come from behind after Mateo Joseph put Leeds ahead within eight minutes following a dreadful error from Alex Disasi. Nicolas Jackson soon equalised before Mudryk put the Blues ahead.
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Boss Mauricio Pochettino believes Mudryk can improve (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)But they were pegged back after the break when Joseph headed in his second of the night at the far post. With the game looking certain to go to extra-time, Gallagher came off the bench to fire in a winner just before injury time, leaving Pochettino a relieved man.
"We needed this result. It wasn’t a great performance. Of course, credit to Leeds, they are a team that is full of confidence, is a very strong team, and is doing fantastic in the Championship and are near the top of the table," he said.
"It was tough for us, even more when you concede after a few minutes. But I think the character we showed after this situation is something to learn for the team and, in the end, we’re so happy.
"We avoided extra time, scored at the end, and are in the quarter-final which was our objective. It’s always tough when you lose a final in extra time and you have only 72 hours to recover. That’s always difficult.
"Today the effort was massive again and I must say thank you to the players for that massive effort. The team needs to find the right balance during the season and you need time and they can perform."
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