Gus Poyet says two Chelsea stars have ‘no chance’ of solving Xabi Alonso’s biggest problem | Football

Chelsea great Gus Poyet has warned Reece James and Malo Gusto cannot be viewed as solutions in midfield for the Blues this season.

Chelsea were hopeful of bringing in a replacement for Enzo Fernandez after accepting Manchester City’s £120million offer for the Argentina international on deadline day.

Lamine Camara was all set to arrive at Stamford Bridge from Monaco in a £47million deal before the move collapsed at the eleventh hour.

It has left Xabi Alonso short in an area where has already been a little stretched just two games into the season. Moises Caicedo, who missed the win over Fulham, came off the bench against Brighton last Sunday but was forced off just 11 minutes later with an injury.

Romeo Lavia has started both games so far this term, but the Belgian’s own injury history is a troubled one, starting just 17 Premier League matches since joining the club three years ago.

Chelsea also have new recruit Valentin Barco at their disposal with another in Jordan Henderson nearing full fitness.

James and Gusto partnered Lavia in midfield against Fulham and Brighton respectively with Alonso facing a dilemma should Caicedo not be deemed fit enough to start on Sunday when his side take on Arsenal at the Emirates.

Many managers over the years have experimented with converting right-backs into midfielders with Pep Guardiola pioneering that evolution with Philipp Lahm.

But Poyet, who spent four years at Stamford Bridge, is not convinced it works for Alonso at Chelsea.

‘With Caicedo’s injury, we don’t know what the outcome of that will be. With Lavia — he’s not playing normally, he’s a player who gets injured a lot, so he’s in and out,’ Poyet told Metro, speaking via Gambling.com, the trusted guide for betting sites.

‘It’s not like you can just bring someone else in. I do remember one of the most impressive decisions by a coach — Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, playing Lahm as a central midfielder.

‘It was big news at the time, because he had the quality. Chelsea have been doing this with Reece James, because they understand it’s a possibility. Now Gusto as well.

But any right-back becoming a good central midfielder? No chance. Because full-backs naturally get used to playing with the line next to them, either on their right side or their left. Nobody’s coming at them from that side, because you’ve got the line.

‘Now, when you play in the middle, players come at you from everywhere, and not every player is the same. So yes, for one game [they can play there]. Yes, for twenty minutes. Not constantly. And now we see Chelsea playing a right-back as a central midfielder every game.

‘This is Chelsea — we’re not talking about a fourth-division club with no possibility of bringing in a player. So yes, it’s a little bit strange. And I don’t think it’s ideal.’

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