On the back of Chelsea’s below-par performances, eyebrows have been raised over their Argentinian boss
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has endured a tough start to life in west London and journalist Paul Brown has revealed why his post may be in jeopardy, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.
After spending just north of £400m, per Transfermarkt, on arrivals over the summer window, many would’ve expected Chelsea to be sitting pretty in the top four.
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Since the departure of now Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, four Chelsea managers have been incapable of emulating the similar success seen under the German’s tutelage and this season is no different, despite their league-leading outlay.
They kicked off 2023/24 proceedings with a respectable 1-1 draw with Liverpool, though would’ve felt disheartened leaving their stomping ground with just a share of the spoils. Just a week later, they were handed a 3-1 defeat by David Moyes’ West Ham United, whereas the following emphatic 3-0 win against Luton Town looked to be a catalyst of their 2023/24 campaign. That thought was short-lived, however, as they were brought back down to earth by a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
A goalless draw on the south coast against Bournemouth then followed, despite making a whopping 516 passes on the afternoon. Most recently, a ten-men Chelsea outfit were punished by Aston Villa frontman Ollie Watkins as his 73rd minute finish opened and closed the scoring, which now means they have endured their worst start to a season for 45 years. Ouch.
Prior to the west Londoners’ eventual 1-0 loss to Villa, Pochettino claimed that his side are unlucky to not be higher in the table and their lack of poise in front of goal have been their Achilles heel.
We need to be more clinical in front of goal and convert chances into goals. That is the most important thing. In all the data, we are in the top four. But in front of goal, we are in the bottom and that is why we don’t have the points that we deserve. Football is about winning games.
“I am disappointed because I think many teams with less score more. That is why we feel bad, the players deserve more. The only way to find what we want is to keep pushing, keep playing.”
I’m not sure the owners are going to have terribly much patience – Paul Brown
On the Premier League strugglers, Brown said that, although it is not all down to Pochettino, the owners’ patience may be running thin, especially seeing how much they have spent on new faces. The journalist understood the structure behind signing young and inexperienced players and, therefore, believes that the more senior figures in the squad can be held accountable. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said…
Yeah, it really is messy for Chelsea. It’s not all Mauricio Pochettino’s fault as this is obviously something that’s gone on for much longer than that, but I’m not sure the owners are going to have terribly much patience considering how much money they’ve spent. It’s alarming to see a club like Chelsea going backwards essentially having spent so much money, but they did spend it on players who are prospects rather than ready-made, and I think in that position, you need to be looking at the players who already do have some Premier League experience to be leading the way, and I’m not sure if they really are at the moment at Chelsea.”
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The biggest problem on Pochettino’s hands is trying to find goals. In six Premier League outings, they have scored just five goals, with 60% (three) of those coming in that one meeting against topflight new boys Luton Town. Nicolas Jackson, who was signed for £32m in the summer, has been less than fruitful in front of goal since his rightfully earned switch to the Premier League. The hard-working centre-forward has proven a relatively sound buy considering the off-the-ball work he has brought in his suitcase with him. It is just his goalscoring exploits that need work. And a lot of work at that.
Transfer insider Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Jackson, a three-cap international for Senegal, is ‘not the answer’ to alleviate Chelsea’s lack of goals. Brentford marksman Ivan Toney, who is currently out serving a ban for betting offences, has been identified as a potential winter signing, though north London duo Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest.
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