Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, has highlighted the continued absence of Romeo Lavia, who he says is “supposed to be a very good player”, following their 2-2 draw at Brentford.
Nicolas Jackson gave the Blues the lead, but they fell 2-1 behind in the second-half after the hosts fought back.
Axel Disasi headed in a late equalizer to rescue a point, a result which leaves the Blues 11th in the Premier League, closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Pochettino opted to switch from his favoured 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2 from the game, but insisted he was not copying the Brentford formation.
According to the former PSG boss, he was forced to make the change because of the continued absence of midfielders like Lavia.
“We needed to provide the midfield with the possibility not to cover too much distance.
“[Conor] Gallagher didn’t start against Leeds because he was very, very tired.
“Because players like Lavia was supposed to be a very good player, and of course Lesley Ugochukwu.
“They are injured and we don’t have the possibility to refresh players that are in a key area. That is why to help them with another centre-back,” Pochettino said in his post-match press conference.
