As the Chelsea players went over to applaud the travelling supporters against Brentford, Malo Gusto’s name was sung loudly at the Gtech Community Stadium. It was the latest sign of the growing appreciation for the full-back from those in Blue.
This season – Gusto’s first outside of his native France – has been a learning curve. It has brought the highs of establishing himself in the Chelsea first team and an international debut, but also the lows of injury and a first senior dismissal.
The defender needed time. Patience was required. But in recent weeks, Pochettino and everyone else associated with the Blues have witnessed Gusto’s undoubted quality.
Crucial to this has been the relationship between player and coach. Gusto may still only be 20, but he appreciates the need to have someone at the helm who trusts him on the pitch.
‘It’s a pleasure [working with Pochettino], he has helped me a lot. He has given me his confidence and I try to return it on the pitch. He is very good for this type of team and we are very happy to have him at the club.’
It’s a sentiment that his manager shares.
“There were situations where a young kid needed time,” says Pochettino, “and the plan for Malo Gusto was that of a 19-year-old player who had come from another league, France.”
However, given the injuries, it’s true that he played sooner we had anticipated. He had to start playing right away while getting used to living abroad, the Premier League, and the club.
Even though Gusto had more than 50 senior professional matches under his belt when he arrived in the summer, adjusting to English football is rarely easy.
But Gusto was a bundle of energy and effort from his first Blue game, when he was brought on as a substitute for Reece James in the season’s opening match against Liverpool. All that was left was to harness and refine it.
In Gusto’s debut start against Luton, he added two assists. But after a VAR review, the Frenchman was given a harsh but straight red card in our loss to Aston Villa at the end of September.
After serving his suspension, he suffered an injury at the beginning of December that kept him out of action for four games. In his absence, Everton, Manchester United, and Newcastle United all lost.
Despite James’s return to the sidelines in the subsequent months, Gusto’s impact has only increased. He
