Mauricio Pochettino has found new Chelsea undroppable vs Everton

If Chelsea are to secure a top seven finish then a win against Everton tonight is important. After the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, the Blues face Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham with four further league games remaining.

Mauricio Pochettino must make use of the games in hand he has over his European-chasing rivals with a top six finish not beyond the realms of possibility. A triumph at home over the lowly Toffees is needed though.

Chelsea’s injury concerns stretch into double figures heading into the contest. Three of them face late fitness tests with Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi to be assessed.

Raheem Sterling and Robert Sanchez are both out with illness while Christpher Nkunku is not expected back from his muscle injury for another few weeks. He can rely on one player for attacking inspiration given his recent run, though.

Madueke making his case

Noni Madueke has only started five Premier League games this season but deserves a sixth against Everton. The winger won the equalising stoppage-time penalty in the 4-3 triumph over Manchester United and scored against Sheffield United.

The onus is on him to show Pochettino that he has made the right decision, if indeed he does start. Just two of his league starts have yielded goals and he is yet to see out a full 90 minutes having often drifted out of the game during the latter stages.

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As for the rest of the frontline, Cole Palmer’s assist against Sheffield United showed he has the capability of playing centrally in attacking midfield while Mykhailo Mudryk taking Seamus Coleman on the left flank could reap reward with Nicolas Jackson leading the line.

Curtain call for Caicedo?

If Fernandez is fit to start then Caicedo should be benched. The Ecuador international has hardly warranted his spot in recent weeks and Conor Gallagher dropping deeper could bring the stability Chelsea have largely lacked.

Caicedo is yet to open his account for Chelsea, but that’s not really an issue for a defensive midfielder. His job is to be assessed by his overall performance when it comes to interceptions, break-up play and goals conceded.

He allowed United back into the game with his sloppy pass a few weeks back as Palmer’s stunning stoppage-time double saved his blushes.

As per stats accumulator fb.ref, Caicedo has won just 56% of his tackles in the Premier League this season, won just 54% of his aerial duels and made three errors leading to shots. This is poor for a £115m investment.