Aston Villa Vs Chelsea: Qualify In The FA Cup And Secure Pochettino's Position

Chelsea are aiming for victory when they play the FA Cup replay against Aston Villa. (X/@ChelseaFC)

JAKARTA - Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is on the brink. Only victory in the FA Cup fifth round rematch against Aston Villa at Villa Park Stadium, Thursday, February 8, 2024, early morning WIB, could help secure his position.

Pochettino will not be dismissed in the middle of the competition. The new club will decide to fire Pochettino when the competition is over if it fails to reach the target.

The reason is, this concerns Pochettino's compensation and financial rule violations in the Premier League because Chelsea had to spend 10 million if they fired the manager.

It's just that the former Tottenham Hotspur manager still gets a target. Because it is already difficult to compete in domestic competitions, Pochettino is burdened in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

The problem is, Chelsea have just lost two consecutive defeats in the league. After losing 1-4 against Liverpool, the Blues were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-4 at home.

The result made Chelsea stuck in the middle board. Pochettino's position was even more uncomfortable.

However, his position is still safe. Moreover, Pochettino has received text messages from club owners, Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly, in the form of support for him.

"I received an encouraging message from them. We remain together to face this situation. The defeat against Liverpool has indeed greatly affected the team. So, we are confident," said Pochettino.

Pochettino also emphasized that he still fully trusted the players. He did not expect consecutive defeats to make the mentality of the players drop even more when they were about to play a game that was not easy against Villa.

"I told the players that I fully trust them more than anyone else. This is what makes me continue to support them," he said.

"I'm not a normal manager. I'm a leader and I want to show that I trust them. If they don't show their best performance, I'm responsible," said Pochettino again.

Despite having the support of the owner, Pochettino still needs victory in order to restore his reputation. If he stays in the FA Cup and even holds the trophy, then his position can be safe.

In the fifth round of the FA Cup, Chelsea was forced to do a replay after being held by Villa 0-0. This is a loss for the Blues because they played at home, Stamford Bridge.

Not much change was made by Pochettino in this rematch. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is still absent so Djordje Petrovic remains standing under the bar.

Levi defender Colwill has indeed recovered, but he will be sitting on the bench. The duet of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile is the starter at the heart of defense.

Meanwhile, Enzo Fernandez will occupy defensive midfielder with Carney Chukwuemeka. This means midfielder Moises Caicedo will sit on the bench.

Chelsea continued to play offensive by placing Nicolas Jackson as the spearhead. He was supported by Mykhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku, and Cole Palmer.

Meanwhile, Villa, who slaughtered Sheffield United 5-0 in the last match, are increasingly confident against Chelsea. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez remains under the bar.

However, Unai Emery's manager lost his mainstay centre-back Ezri Konsa who had a knee injury against Sheffield United. Luckily, Pau Torres has recovered from an ankle injury and can start.

"He (Konza) suffered a knee injury. He will be absent for at least three or four weeks," Emery said.

Emery staged a 4-4-2 scheme by placing the attacking duo, totaling Watkins and Moussa Diaby, as the first choice.

Meanwhile, John McGinn and Leon Bailey play on the right and the self. The midfielder defensive position is filled by Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz.

Player Composition Forecast

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Lenglet, Moreno; Bailey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Chilwell; Chukwuemeka, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryk; Jackson