Mauricio Pochettino has stressed the importance of having a player like Alfie Gilchrist in his Chelsea side.
Gilchrist made his fourth appearance for the Blues this season, as Chelsea played out a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa in an FA Cup fourth round clash last Friday.
The 20-year-old came in as a last-minute replacement for Levi Colwill, who’d picked up an injury in the build-up to the game at Stamford Bridge.
As has often been the case each time he’s played this season, Gilchrist was very efficient as a right-back, before he was later taken off in the 65th minute.
Asked how important it is to have someone like Gilchrist in his team, Pochettino said in a post-match interview: “For me, it is always important, if you see my career as a coach at Espanyol, Tottenham and Paris or now.
“It is really important for the identity of the club. It’s so important because this guy really feels the shirt and badge. It’s always a mix but having some guys is important for the club’s identity.
“We are in Chelsea and we should win so there is sometimes no time but these types of opportunities when you have some injured players. They need to be ready and we need to be ready to help them take these opportunities. Yes, that’s also our responsibility to the club.”