Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be announced as the new Chelsea manager in the coming days, tasked with turning around the fortunes of an expensively assembled squad ahead of next season.
Chelsea have used four managers in the 2022/23 campaign - two permanent in Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, and two interims in Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard - but none have managed to find the right solution in the squad to challenge for a European spot, let alone mount a challenge for the Premier League title.
Next season will be a fresh start for the Blues, though, and with the Argentine at the helm, there will inevitably be a sense of optimism around the club once more.
With that being said, FourFourTwo takes a look at how Mauricio Pochettino will likely set up his Chelsea team as the new manager.
How will Mauricio Pochettino set up at Chelsea?
Commonly referred to as a disciple of Marcelo Bielsa - Bielsa scouted Pochettino as a youngster at Newell’s Old Boys before handing him his first-team debut aged 17 - Pochettino thrives with an energetic system full of attacking players.
It’s a good job then that Chelsea have spent over £200 million on forwards in the past two transfer windows under co-owner Todd Boehly, with RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku still set to join in the summer and Romelu Lukaku to return from his loan spell at Inter Milan.
Expected to set Chelsea up in a 4-2-3-1, which turns into a 4-4-2 defensively, the Argentine will have an abundance of players at his disposal to choose from - and likely a few more on the way in the summer.
Arguably the most important part of Pochettino's system relies on the full-backs, with attacks heavily focussed on them bursting forward in support. During his time at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino had Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Ben Davies all bombing down the wing, allowing wide forwards to move infield.
While he could experiment with wing-backs like he did with both Spurs and PSG, at Chelsea Reece James and Ben Chilwell represent the perfect profile of full-back for a Pochettino system.
Both love getting forward and hugging the touchline, which would enable forwards to take up more central positions and overload the box. Chelsea have lots of attackers who enjoy operating from out to in, such as Raheem Sterling, Mykhalo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic, and all could exploit spaces in between defences with their sharp movement, such as Heung-min Son did under Pochettino at Spurs.
With Mudryk still only 22 and with a contract at the club until 2031, it seems Pochettino's main task will be to get the best out of the Ukrainian winger. While he has offered glimpses of his quality during his short time at the club, Pochettino has a proven track record of coaching and developing players. For Mudryk, the Argentine's arrival could be key for his career.
The system would also allow the likes to Mason Mount or even Conor Gallagher to start in wide positions but drift inside into more central areas, where they're most comfortable. Christian Eriksen worked wonders in this role a half-decade ago, and the aforementioned Blues stars could replicate that at Stamford Bridge.
With Chelsea likely to sign a new striker, Kai Havertz might finally have the opportunity to play off of, rather than be, a focal point upfront. While the future of Lukaku is still up in the air, Havertz has a similar stature and profile to Dele Alli, another player Pochettino got the best out of at Spurs.
Acting as a second striker, Alli would have the licence to make runs in behind and stretch defences without the pressure of having to hold the ball up to bring others into play. Havertz worked most effectively in this role during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, and it could be the key to unlocking the potential he evidently possesses.
Should N'Golo Kante and Matteo Kovacic - who are out of contract in the summer - both leave, then Enzo Fernandez will sit at the base of the midfield likely alongside a new team-mate. Chelsea's new boss likes his central midfielders to drop deep and collect the ball from the defence, something Fernandez has already shown he is certainly capable of doing since arriving in January.
An energetic presence would complement Fernandez best, though brave players willing to get on the ball in tight situations to break oppositions presses are of paramount importance in a Mauricio Pochettino system.
In central defence and in goal, players need to be comfortable with the ball at their feet, which is why it seems Kepa Arrizabalaga will be favoured over Edouard Mendy. The Spaniard also fits the profile of previous goalkeepers Pochettino has worked with in Keylor Navas and Hugo Lloris, and would help start attacks with confidence.
Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana at centre-back are two hungry, young players looking to prove themselves. Levi Colwill, currently on loan at Brighton, could come back into the fold and challenge for places, though, having proven his capabilities - albeit sporadically - on the south coast.
All three will have Thiago Silva to learn from as well, arguably still Chelsea's best defender, though at his age far less likely to get lots of minutes.
