20 August 2023 , 23:00
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Mauricio Pochettino launched a staunch defence of Mykhaylo Mudryk after the Chelsea winger produced another ineffective display in the 3-1 defeat against West Ham.
Mudryk has struggled to live up to expectations since joining the Blues back in January for £87million from Shakhtar Donetsk and started Sunday's derby clash against the Hammers on the bench.
The Blues had bossed the first half and went in level at the break but lost their way in the second half - something that former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole felt was down to withdrawal of Carney Chukwuemeka, who was replaced by Mudryk after picking up an injury.
Cole went on to question the forward, telling Sky Sports: "Maybe the substitution [Chukwuemeka coming off and Mudryk going on] caused an issue. They lost a bit of impetus in the game. They’re weren’t getting the runs in behind between right-back and centre-back. It was all then too easy for West Ham.
"Pochettino will have understood the context behind the change but I felt they lost a bit of ability to drive beyond and cause West Ham a problem. They lost a little bit of power and impetus to sustain attacks."
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In light of Cole's scathing verdict, Pochettino was quick to defend Mudryk's performance after the match, with the former Tottenham boss suggesting that efforts must be made to rebuild the talented Ukrainian winger's confidence.
Join the debate! Do you think Mudryk can turn things around under Pochettino at Chelsea? Let us know here.
Mudryk was ineffective after coming off the bench in Sunday's loss at West Ham (Offside via Getty Images)Mudryk is still yet to find the net for his new club despite making 19 appearances in all competitions since his blockbuster January transfer. Pochettino has no doubts, though, that the forward will find his feet sooner or later in a Blues shirt.
The Argentine said of Mudryk after the match: "Well I think he needs to be more in the spirit to score. But normally, today he played 45 minutes, he needs to have continuity. But first of all he needs to build his continuity and trust during the trainings during the week.
"He’s a young player that needs to be trusted, we need to trust in him to create this relationship with us and with the team.
"He has enormous quality and talent, I think it’s only [a matter of] time for him to settle better in the team and for sure he will find the way to perform in the way that we expect."