Mauricio Pochettino makes Chelsea squad big promise – but on one condition

Mauricio Pochettino has outlined his plan for the Chelsea squad over the New Year period ahead of their Premier League clash against Luton Town.

Chelsea have had minimal rest and recovery over Christmas after playing on Christmas Eve (December 24) and the day after Boxing Day (December 27).

Pochettino‘s side play for one final time before 2023 closes out, a trip to Kenilworth Road to face newly-promoted Luton on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s going to be really tough,” Pochettino previewed ahead of Saturday’s encounter. “The stadium, the fans, it’s a team that loves to fight and work really, really hard.

“It’s so difficult if you watch the last few games. It was always tough for all the opponents. If we want to get a good result we need to be ready to play football, it’s going to be a really tough game.

“We need to match the desire, the capacity to fight for every single ball. It’s going to be a good test for us.”

Chelsea are currently 10th in the Premier League and a win over Luton will cement their place in the top half heading into 2024.

Their next game after Luton is against Championship side Preston North End in the FA Cup third round on Saturday 6th January 2024. It gives Chelsea a week to prepare for the cup tie and also a chance to have a breather.

That’s the plan in place for now, confirmed Pochettino, however it will all hinge on how they perform against Luton on Saturday.

On the squad having some rest days after Luton, Pochettino revealed: “Yes, yes, of course. That is the plan.

“The plan is to win and then give one or two days off depending on the circumstances.”