"We are a meritocracy" – Mauricio Pochettino explains why Chelsea star has lost his place in team

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has shed light on why Mykhailo Mudryk has fallen down in his squad's pecking order in the recent past.

Mudryk, who arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth around £89 million last January, has failed to start his team's past three league games. He has started just half of his 24 overall appearances this season.

During a pre-game press conference, Pochettino was queried why Mudryk is being overlooked in the past couple of weeks. He replied to reporters (h/t The Standard):

"He started the [6-1] game against Middlesbrough in the [EFL Cup] semi-final, which is one of the most important games. Yes, now he is on the bench. Look, it's about the form during the season, if you keep your form and you are the best during every training session. As coaching staff, we are a meritocracy. We are going to play with the players who are going to do their best on the pitch."

Sharing further thoughts on the Chelsea winger, Pochettino concluded:

"I think he's a young guy that arrived here one year ago. We know the circumstances around [the transfer]. Of course, he needs to improve. He has amazing quality and potential, but it's a [team] game, it's not tennis. We have players that need to perform in a group. If you see him, it's amazing, but after, you need to adapt and play for the team – he needs to adapt, and that needs time."

Mudryk, 23, failed to net a goal in 17 matches across competitions for Chelsea last season. However, he has shown some signs of improvement this campaign due to his four goals and two assists so far.

Dimitar Berbatov offers scoreline prediction for Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

In his column for the Metro, ex-Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov backed the Blues to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in their home league encounter on Sunday (February 4). He wrote:

"As unpredictable as Chelsea are, they do play good football sometimes because they have special players. They are inconsistent though, just like Manchester United this season. Look at the game at Anfield, Liverpool smashed them. But in this game, Chelsea have a good opportunity to win it at home."

The Blues, who have won five of their past eight matches, are 10th in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 31 points from 22 games. Wolves, meanwhile, are in 11th place in the table with 29 points.

Mauricio Pochettino's side, who lost 2-1 at Wolves earlier this campaign, have won just three of their last 11 league meetings against the Molineux Stadium outfit.