Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino asks for patience as Armando Broja returns from injury
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has preached patience regarding striker Armando Broja‘s return from a long-term injury layoff. Broja is nearing a comeback but Pochettino insists the burden cannot fall solely on the young forward to ignite Chelsea’s misfiring attack.
In a press conference ahead of Aston Villa covered by football.london, Pochettino discussed Broja’s situation and the need for collective improvement up front rather than relying on any single player.
“It’s the same situation that we can talk about many players. Broja arrives and maybe will be involved at the weekend but it’s after nine months of not competing. We cannot put responsibility on him. The responsibility must be on the team and the collective effort.”
The manager stressed that Broja will require time to regain sharpness after such a lengthy absence. Instantly expecting him to score goals is unrealistic.
“We cannot expect Broja will score with every single touch, he needs to feel the competition.”
Getting Broja back following his ACL tear last December, against Aston Villa provides a lift for the Blues. The Blues are currently missing 12 players due to injuries. However, fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that Moises Caicedo, Armando Broja, Noni Madueke, and Marc Cucurella are expected to return against Aston Villa according to Chelsea’s official website.
Chelsea’s goalscoring issues extend beyond one player. Pochettino aims to build attacking cohesion and shared responsibility.
Chelsea should focus on improving the team as a whole
The Blues are going through a period of substantial change right now, choosing to focus on developing young talents under their new Argentine manager Pochettino. However, the team has yet to show great success. The Blues are currently in 14th place in the Premier League standings, having secured just 5 points in 5 matches. Moreover, the team’s attack has been a mess.
Rather than pinning hopes on Broja alone to fix their attacking woes, Chelsea must show patience in bringing him along gradually, on top of improving systematically. If the whole team functions better, it will ease the transition for returning players like Broja.
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Pochettino is urging a balanced approach, not placing undue pressure on individuals. With collective gains, Broja and Chelsea’s other forwards can thrive again. But putting unrealistic expectations on single players coming off long layoffs is unlikely to provide a quick fix.
That being said, there has hardly been a better time for the Albania international to come in and stake a claim for a spot in the starting XI.
