Having got a dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester United, Chelsea once again surrendered a 1-0 and 2-1 lead against Sheffield United, to draw 2-2 at Bramall Lane.
This has become a recurring problem in most of the Blues’ games this season, and it as though Chelsea fans are looking straight at Mauricio Pochettino as the route to most of the problems.
Though the board is remaining patient with Pochettino, the anger from the fans, is starting to increase the pressure on the Argentine, as well as the club’s sporting directors.
The most frustrating thing is the fact that the Blues have not kept a clean sheet, since their FA Cup Fourth round tie away at Aston Villa.
The biggest question you must ask is what happens at half-time, as the team either starts of well, or gets even worse.
Chelsea – One Man Army
Embed from Getty ImagesCole Palmer is the man who is carrying the team on his shoulders, and you could argue that if it wasn’t for his 19 goals and 13 assists, Chelsea may well have been close to fighting to avoid relegation.
Embed from Getty ImagesNicholas Jackson, Noni Madueke, and Raheem Sterling aren’t showing the levels of consistency for being a goal-scoring machine, and this is even more frustrating thing about the team.
And even though they are some signs of improvement in front of goal, Chelsea is not as efficient as they should be in that aspect of the game.
Set Piece and Crossing Vulnerabilities
Embed from Getty ImagesAnther irritating thing about Pochettino’s side, is how vulnerable they look in their own box, especially on set pieces and crosses.
It’s school kids defending, nobody picking up runners, no desire to win the ball, it’s an utter mess.
Despite initially thinking it was not necessary, the club have decided to hire Bernardo Cueva as their new set piece coach for next season.
But this should have been already in place for this season, as the team have eight League games, plus an FA Cup semi-final and potentially a final left to play.
Lack Of Experience?
Pochettino also lamented on lack of experience within the team being a factor of not being able to close out wins.
“Maybe [it is] because this group is not mature enough to compete in games every three days.”
Pochettino: Sky Sports
But when you spent 1billion in the summer of 2023, why didn’t you or the club think about bringing in some more experienced players, to help with the grooming of the youngsters?
Embed from Getty ImagesOther than Silva, Raheem Sterling the only other experienced player azt the age 29, who is yet to show the qualities of a leader.
This is just baffling-to see, given the amount of success he endured at Manchester City, and the missed penalty against Leicester City sums that up, particularly when he took the ball from Palmer’s hands.
This is just selfish, naive, and when youngsters get influenced by these things, which does not help the team bond at all.
This is where you must question Pochettino’s ability to create a group of leaders, who can set the standards on a day-to-day basis?
No Leaders
The lack of leadership within the team is baffling to see, with only Thiago Silva being the most experienced at the age of 39.
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore the start of every game, or even after conceding a goal, some teams i.e. Arsenal have a huddle as a strategy to galvanise the players, which is a way of keeping mentally switched on for the game.
More often than not, it is usually the captain who leads these huddles, and they work wonders for some sides.
If you look at the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool, they have great Managers, but the one crucial aspect they have is a group of leaders, who set the standards of how a team sets out to play.
Look at how Rodri, Ruben Diaz, and Kevin De Bruyne set the standards for City,
Pep Guardiola is in charge from the dugout, but those three players set an example to the rest of the team, of how to stick to the plan and seize the moment in games, which is what Chelsea seems to be lacking.
What Chelsea desperately needs is one of the players, preferably a Silva, as well as Pochettino to get everyone together, and say ‘Come on, this isn’t good enough.'”
” Week by week we are letting our fans down. ‘We need to do something.'”
If the players aren’t happy with Pochettino and his tactics, they need to speak to him as well as the board, particularly if they want him to be sacked before the end of the Season.
Is this the end of Pochettino’s time at Chelsea, or can he turn things around?
Image Credit: Deposit Photos