Chelsea owners risk permanently damaging fan relationship if deal with Spurs is made

The reports on the Conor Gallagher issue at Chelsea just gets bleaker and bleaker.

No new deal has been signed, and all the evidence point to the club being keen to sell him in order to balance the books.

Fabrizio Romano’s newest news on the subject suggests that Tottenham, of all clubs, are head of the queue, and that Chelsea will listen if they put forth a “interesting proposal” for Gallagher.

“Tottenham keep following this situation closely because Ange Postecoglou is a big fan of the player,” Romano said in his “Daily Briefing” for Caughtoffside.

It’s a scary prospect for Chelsea fans, and many have accurately argued that it would probably be an irrevocable betrayal of the fans which the owners would not be able to recover from.

Selling Mason Mount was quite damaging in a similar fashion, but they managed to spin their way out of it — assisted by the fact that Mount has joined a totally dysfunctional Manchester United team.

But selling Gallagher to our biggest rivals, after the performances he’s but in to save us from so much shame since the summer, would be genuinely inexcusable to most fans.

Could Pochettino’s tinkering lead to another winning formula?

Adrian Clarke considers up advantages and cons of Blues boss’s continuous changes before of trip to Wolves

Adrian Clarke looks at crucial tactical elements and players who can be pivotal in Matchweek 18.

Team analysis: Chelsea Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has kept opponent managers guessing with his continual tinkering this season.

While he appears to have settled on 4-2-3-1 as his preferred shape, having opened the campaign in a 3-4-2-1, he is yet to commit to a regular starting XI at Chelsea.

Fluctuating form and injury difficulties are a part, but 17 matches into his rule at Stamford Bridge it still feels like he is in an experimental phase.

The adaptability of Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher and Axel Disasi provides Pochettino the ability to mix up his tactical approach – and he has been willing to take advantage of that.

Freshening things up game every game, he also affects the preparation of rival managers.

Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Gary O’Neil will not have any clarity on the team he is set to face on Christmas Eve. His pre-match plans will need to be very adaptive right up until kick-off.

Wolves against Chelsea: What the managers said
Is Pedro Neto close to a return? Will Christopher Nkunku start? Hear from Gary O’Neil and Mauricio Pochettino ahead of Sunday’s match

Positional changes
Pochettino has made a total of 34 changes to his line-ups this season, the seventh-most among Premier League managers.

Averaging two every match is plenty, but it is not the main talking point. Of greater significance is the manner he makes so many positional modifications.

In last week’s 2-0 home win over Sheffield United, just four players began in the same roles as they did at Everton in the previous encounter.

In his starting XI for the 2-0 loss at Goodison Park, Pochettino had also made seven positional changes from the match before, a 2-1 loss at Manchester United.

When picking his team for the previous two matches, Pochettino also modified five and four responsibilities accordingly.

The search for his optimal recipe goes on, and outcomes may stay inconsistent until he does. But the existence of so many multi-purpose players is currently an aid rather than a handicap.

Core group
Thiago Silva, Disasi, Levi Colwill, Moises Caicedo and Gallagher are the only players to start all six of Chelsea’s league victories so far.

This quintet are tactically crucial to Pochettino, fluidly exchanging roles without compromising the quality of the team.

When one regular starter is out injured or suspended, it sets off a chain reaction and a reshuffle.

Chelsea injury update ahead of Wolves
Thiago Silva goes between the left and right of Chelsea’s centre-back combination with minimum fuss, while Disasi switches between right-back and central defence.

Colwill has featured largely as a left-back but has also started in his favorite centre-back position, while fellow academy graduate Gallagher is superb as both an orthodox and attacking center midfielder.

Caicedo, who might be utilized as a right-back if necessary, is the only member of this group who is yet to multi-task.

Switching Sterling and Palmer
Pochettino’s deployment of Palmer and Sterling has also been interesting to see.

In instances where Pochettino prioritises steadiness down the centre, he likes to play Palmer on the right wing with Sterling sliding to the left and Gallagher at No 10 ahead of Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.

On other times he has been delighted to start Palmer as the center offensive midfielder, flanked by Mykhailo Mudryk (left) and Sterling (right).

In last weekend’s success against Sheff Utd, Pochettino also encouraged Palmer and Sterling to adjust their places during the second half. We saw Palmer go to the right and Sterling drift infield more often from half-time onwards.

This interchangeability wound the Blades in knots, with both players strongly involved in the two goals.

Earlier this week Pochettino characterized Palmer as “a playmaker who can link the team”, and depending on the game state it seems he will move him around to suit the side’s needs.

Palmer’s goal v Sheffield United

Nkunku to spice things up
Christopher Nkunku made his long-awaited Chelsea debut in the midweek EFL Cup triumph at home to Newcastle United, going on as a 69th minute replacement for Nicolas Jackson.

The Frenchman is now likely to receive his first taste of Premier League football at Molineux.

Once he is fully fit, the Blues’ starting XI will include even more risk, since Nkunku can function equally effectively as a center striker or as a No 10.

With relationships and chemistry so vital, I would therefore expect to see even more positional rotation from Pochettino in the coming weeks.

Finding the perfect configuration to extract the best from Nkunku, an extraordinary offensive talent, could be the key to unlocking Chelsea’s maximum potential.