Welcome Mauricio Pochettino

[Mário César 975]

6 minutes ago, Blue Armour said:

Blaming Pochettino is so short sighted. Maybe he can do better.

But in less than two years we have gone from a top 4 team to below midtable.

That's not down to Poch. 

thats my point 

[Mhsc 876]

Definitely not Poch's fault in entirety, I think a series of bad decision from him has not helped us but can't blame all of this on him. Of his many mistakes playing Nkunku in that preseason game on the dodgiest pitch I've ever seen and getting him injured killed our season before it started. But the fact we are nothing without Nkunku is not his fault in entirety. Obviously, he could have been stronger willed in pre-season about who he wanted and let the others have less say but that's not easy when you're new to a club. The club should have backed him a little more with some more players with experience which he asked for repeatedly all preseason.

I still think given the money and long term thinking involved EVENTUALLY we'll become a really good team, but the pressure to win immediately only seems to be felt by Poch - I can't believe PW or LS would have snubbed so many ready made options if they felt that pressure.

[Costa19 858]

Pochettino: "One thing I am disappointed is they [the full-backs] try to go forward too much and create confusion to the offensive players and give the opponent chances to score." Also says Thiago Silva was frustrated at his teammates for losing discipline.
 

Oh so now we are to offensive. Alright folks calmn down… next game we will probably play 4 CB and 2 withdrawn WB. 

[Strike 7,217]

https://x.com/cfcpys/status/1703464813089738789

Awful but completely expected to see the pressure from the fanbase is already skyrocketing. 

For me, Poch has had the right attitude and is dealing with an uprooted squad. We have to give him as long as possible before abandoning this. The issue is not management even though Poch has not helped himself with some tactical choices. 

[robsblubot 3,504]

heh the commentators after the game questioned the idea that Chelsea will be OK once the injured players return. They simply asked, "do we know what to expect from these injured players?" I think aside from James, that's a very fair question.

It's easy to take that one game from Carney and project that he will play like that every weekend, when in reality he will likely look inconsistent relative to his 19yo. Even Nkunku hasn't really played for us, or in the PL, to know exactly what he will bring. Lavia is also a big unknown at this level.

Evidently it's better to have options, but just a cautioning tale so to not expect all problems to be magically solved once players are back.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Its obvious Poch will take the brunt of the flak for now but the real culprits who are to blame and the owners and the footballing people they’ve installed. Simple as that. 

It has been blatantly obvious for about 10000 years now we need goalscorers (Nkunku and Sterling aside), one of those definitely being a top CF who will do the business regularly. I mean nothing against Jackson just young, needs time, needs less pressure too. Same with Broja. 

Was the same issue with Benitez, with Mourinho’s 2nd spell, same issues arose with Conte after he binned Costa, with Sarri, with Frank, with Tuchel, with Potter, with Frank again and its still the fucking same. I mean chances created are there - goals aren’t. Isn’t rocket science. Goalscorers. And that was when we had other guys like Eden, Pedro, Fabregas, Willian, Schurrle, Oscar who are, depending on who, probably 10-100 times the players of some of these we’ve signed. 

But in true fashion with this ownership, we’ve shit the bed & signed anything but proven players barring a handful, under the guise of these youngsters being a “long term investment” as opposed to gambles. Basically though, we have spent £1 bn and have somehow gotten worse. Tell me how thats possible? It shouldn’t be. It should literally be impossible.

So who’s really at fault here? Poch? Or the footballing strategy people?

Will say it now, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley - if they would of even been hired in the first place - would have been fired by Roman before even being given any sort of control on transfers if they came to him with this nonsense approach of signing every u21 alive without any real substance. No disrespect to Brighton and Monaco, where they came from but if they want to run us like them and develop a similar footballing culture and strategy then we are goosed because we are coming from a place of relative success and reversing that to try become more a feeder club (in theory) by developing very very unproven qualities as opposed to buying a mix of good proven players & exposing younger, developing players to them and the group. 

If the January window goes the same as the last 2 windows have then this club will be in a very very very dangerous place come next summer. Simple as that.

I do think Boehly might need to get on the phone to Michael Edwards in the summer.

[Billy. 2,742]

With a fully fit squad what’s our best 11/formation?? 

[Fernando 6,463]

1 billion spent but couldn't solve the striker issue. Going to be a hard season. 

[Vesper 28,818]

2 hours ago, Billy. said:

With a fully fit squad what’s our best 11/formation?? 

GK Diogo Costa or Oblak

CB Levi Colwill

CB António Silva

LB Alphonso Davies or Nuno Mendes

RB Reece or Hakimi

DMF Lavia or (dream) Tchou

MF Caicedo

MF Enzo

SS/Winger Raphael Leão or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

SS/Winger Nkunku

CF Osimhen

 

Floating 4 1 2 2 1 spatially recombinant 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 28,818]

When should Chelsea start to panic about Mauricio Pochettino?

https://thetopflight.com/2023/09/17/Chelsea-poor-start-mauricio-pochettino/

 

by Evan Curnew   56 minutes ago

When Chelsea won just two of five at the beginning of the 2022-2023 Premier League season, it was deemed a disaster, and just over a week later, Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Todd Boehly. This season, under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea have won just a single match in their first five fixtures, with the victory coming against Luton Town, who are favourites to finish 20th place.

Despite looking like their draw against Liverpool in the opening match week could be something to build upon, the Blues have failed to show that things are going to be different this season. Todd Boehly led a massive overhaul of the squad this summer, but even after the window has closed, the squad, on paper, looks nowhere near a title challenger.

In fairness to Pochettino, he’s had to deal with plenty of injuries to the squad. Captain Reece James is still struggling to stay healthy, and newcomer Christopher Nkunku is out long-term and has yet to make his Premier League debut. That’s not all, though; Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah all missed the club’s most recent fixture against Bournemouth with multiple of those players being out long-term. A healthy squad for Chelsea should be able to see an uptick in performance, but for now, how long will Chelsea allow for poor results to be okay?

While fans have yet to turn against Mauricio Pochettino, they are frustrated with the start of the season, which has seen the club sink to 14th after matchday five. Boos could be heard from the away Chelsea fans during this visit to Bournemouth as the club failed to score in a nil-nil draw. Post-match, Mauricio Pochettino spoke about the supporter’s disappointment.

“The fans are disappointed because of the situation but I am not worried about that. I say that because we really know what we are doing we deserved to win”. [Source]

It goes without saying that Pochettino should be given the chance to showcase what his side is capable of when healthy, but how long will that be? Chelsea needs to see results very soon, especially given they have no European football this season, and the focus is fully on the Premier League. The club’s next run of fixtures includes Aston Villa, Fulham and Burnley. In this instance, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will be the favourites in that match, but the fixtures after that should be ones where there is no excuse for Chelsea not to win those games. It’s time for the club to have a “no excuses” attitude and get the fans in positive spirits again.

[Vesper 28,818]

How not to score a goal: A short story by Chelsea Football Club

https://theathletic.com/4870742/2023/09/18/Chelsea-goal-shots-analysis/

Chelsea desperately needed to find the right Neto.

A sign of another frustrating game for the club came just a few minutes before the end of Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth when it was announced to the home fans that the Brazilian goalkeeper had been named their man of the match.

The 34-year-old certainly had his moments against Mauricio Pochettino’s side but it would be wrong to make out that Neto produced a saves-of-the-season montage. Instead, this was another consummate exhibition of Chelsea’s inability to score a goal.

Last season, they set a new club-record low in the Premier League era of 38 goals from as many matches. They have started 2023-24 bang on course to match that underwhelming feat: they have five goals in as many 2023-24 Premier League fixtures, and none in their past two.

Nobody can accuse them of not trying — Pochettino’s side rank joint-fourth in the division for total shots (81). The problem is the accuracy: Chelsea are second-bottom among the 20 clubs when it comes to the difference between their expected goals (xG) figure and the actual number of goals scored, and third-worst for shot conversion percentage.

 

Yes, Chelsea are missing players – 12 of them, in fact, as Pochettino pointed out while defending his team after they were booed off at the end by a section of the travelling support. But at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, Chelsea contrived to miss in almost every conceivable way and it leaves Pochettino – who has now not won any of his last 14 away games as a Premier League manager with them and previous employers Tottenham – with a major headache.

We take a closer look at what happened to Chelsea in the final third against Bournemouth.

---

Poor technique

There were many examples of this, but nothing summed up how clumsy Chelsea players look when the opposition goal looms into view than Nicolas Jackson’s spectacular miss early in the second half.

It was not a golden opportunity, but it will still make a highlights reel of embarrassing moments when the season reviews are being compiled next spring.

Midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu slid a ball through for the Senegal international to run onto in the 53rd minute. The angle was tight, so much so that taking a shot from that position always seemed ambitious. It did not stop Jackson from having a swing with his left foot, though.

 

The ball ended up high in the stands, and embarrassingly wide of the target; as he lost his balance and fell over while his shot whistled into the crowd, Jackson looked like Superman flying in the air before crashing to Earth:

“Bournemouth reject!” sang the home fans, a reference to how only a failed medical prevented Jackson signing for them from Spanish side Villarreal in this year’s January transfer window.

Taking too long

If only Conor Gallagher had made a connection sooner.

Yes, the manner of Neto’s save low to his right played a part in his selection as man of the match, but what a chance the England midfielder had in the 34th minute.

Perhaps he was in shock that Mykhailo Mudryk had successfully found him with a good ball inside the area — Gallagher was certainly very vocal toward the Ukrainian early on about the quality of a cross from the byline.

On this occasion, Gallagher hesitated a fraction, let the ball run across him and uncorked a shot that was not placed far enough in the corner. It gave Neto the advantage, and he made the most of it:

 

Gallagher’s shot is saved (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

Sloppiness and taking the wrong option

As Chelsea began to run out of ideas in the latter stages of the match, the lack of confidence became more evident.

In the 69th minute, Gallagher was carrying the ball with intent towards Bournemouth’s penalty area. There was a simple pass to be made inside to Jackson, but he played it behind the forward, so the pace went out of the attack. To make matters worse, Jackson then lost possession far too easily when attempting a very lazy pass.

A little later, Cole Palmer provided evidence that it has not taken long for Chelsea’s shooting struggles to afflict him following his deadline-day move from Manchester City just over two weeks ago.

 

Cole Palmer also struggled in front of goal (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Pochettino sent on Palmer, bought for a mere £40million (plus a potential £2.5m in add-ons), three minutes past the hour. Not long after, he opted not to shoot when a promising position opened up, while two attempts he did get off – one through a defender’s legs and a first-time volley from Raheem Sterling’s cross – were blocked and saved respectively.

GO DEEPER

Ten Hag making tough Utd job harder; Chelsea's booing fans; Arteta's a genius or a mad man - The Briefing

Failing to anticipate 

A top team always finds a way to get the ball over the line at some point, even when they are not at their best.

Sometimes it takes getting the better of a goalmouth scramble. In the 65th minute, neither Jackson nor Levi Colwill could get the vital touch when they were just a few yards out, allowing Neto to make yet another save:

 

Chelsea fail to force the ball in from close range (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

It wasn’t a glaring blunder, but it underlined that Chelsea still struggle to anticipate where balls are likely to drop in goalmouth melees.

Having a player with sharper scoring instincts may well have made the difference.

The unlucky miss 

Chelsea have not had much good fortune on their side recently, and this game could have been so different if they had not hit the woodwork twice.

First, there was a Jackson shot from outside the area in the 13th minute — the timing seems fitting considering their bad luck — which hit the outside of a post and went wide. The effort was not cleanly hit but Neto was helpless as the ball bobbled past him.

Even more agonising was Sterling’s free kick five minutes into the second half, which seemed to strike the crossbar and the post before bouncing down onto the line — it was only millimetres from all of the ball being over the whitewash:

The ball did rebound to Colwill to ‘score’, but the England defender (No 26) was rightly denied a first Chelsea goal because he was offside when Sterling hit the initial shot:

Chelsea fans are certainly making their feelings known.

Chants of “Attack, attack, attack!” were heard in the first half yesterday, and then boos were audible after the final whistle.

There is no crisis yet, but the crowd’s impatience to see their team score, let alone win, will surely come to the fore when Aston Villa come to Stamford Bridge next Sunday.

[Vesper 28,818]

Pundit Emmanuel Petit slams Chelsea boss for singling out Mykhaylo Mudryk after Bournemouth draw

https://www.astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2023/09/football-pundit-slams-pochettino-Chelsea-mykhaylo-mudryk/

In an interview with Betway (h/t Football.London), French pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit slammed manager Mauricio Pochettino for unfairly singling out winger Mykhailo Mudryk after the Blues’ 0-0 draw with Bournemouth.

Mudryk had a bright start to the game but had a sharp drop in performance after he was booked for a poor challenge on Bournemouth’s Max Aarons. Throughout the match, the 22-year-old created two chances however had zero shots at goal. T

The Ukrainian was substituted in the 63rd minute after he failed to make the necessary impact. In the post-match conference, Pochettino claimed the £88 million winger still needs to “understand the game better” (h/t Daily Mail).

 “He is improving. He still needs to learn; the Premier League is very fast, the speed of the game is so fast. I think it’s about understanding the game better, try to be more connected sometimes with the team.”

Mykhaylo Mudryk with the Ukraine flag for Chelsea.

Scapegoating a single player will not solve Chelsea’s issues

After the draw against the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, Petit said picking on Mudryk publicly would not help his confidence.

“Mudryk isn’t the only one struggling in that team so pointing at him in the press will not help him at all because he’s not playing with confidence. He will be thinking, ‘why is my manager saying I don’t understand the way I should be playing in the Premier League?’

This is a bad sign for Mudryk and I’m pretty sure he will be on the bench next time against Aston Villa. Next time Pochettino says something like that he should look at other players too because the Bournemouth game was not Mudryk’s fault.”

Chelsea have lacked chemistry and cohesion all season. Their struggles in front of goal continued versus Bournemouth, but Petit feels the whole team is underperforming. However, Petit argued that Mudryk was unfairly scapegoated for the Blues’ ongoing issues.

Apart from Raheem Sterling, no other Chelsea attacker should be proud of their performances so far this term. Pochettino’s public criticism of Mudryk risks damaging the young winger’s confidence as he continues adapting to the Premier League.

Chelsea Boss needs to be patient with Mykhaylo Mudryk. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Mudryk joined Stamford Bridge from Shakhtar Donetsk on an eight-and-a-half-year deal in January. That shows that he has been brought here for the long term and needs time to adjust. The last thing that he needs is his confidence taking a hit in his formative years.

The problem does not lie with the Ukrainian alone. Chelsea’s young team needs to build up good chemistry first.Perhaps Pochettino did not mean to single out Mudryk for the critics to have a go at the winger. He did balance out his statement with positives about the winger and he didn’t lie — he is adjusting to life at Stamford Bridge, we can all see that.

No harm done. Mudryk should be strong enough to take such comments on the chin and continue honing his abilities.

Edited September 19, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 28,818]

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea in crisis? They’re actually playing quite well

https://theathletic.com/4874009/2023/09/19/Chelsea-playing-well-no-panic/

In basic terms, Chelsea’s start to the 2023-24 Premier League campaign has been something of a disaster.

Five matches into the new season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have collected five points and sit 14th in the table. They’ve only won once, and even that was probably their simplest fixture of the season, at home to a Luton Town side who are yet to collect a single point.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Yes, Chelsea have a very expensively assembled squad. Football coverage is now overwhelmingly obsessed with the transfer market; success or failure on the pitch is immediately considered in relation to spending. Here, the focus is simply on whether Chelsea have played well or not.

And, on the whole, they have.

They started sluggishly against Liverpool on the opening weekend but, after equalising, they were the better side and could have snatched a winner late on. In a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United, they were guilty of shocking marking at a set piece and failed to make their one-man advantage count in the second half, but the game-changing moment was a brilliant Michail Antonio goal out of nothing. Chelsea’s defence was rarely opened up.

In a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea were overwhelmingly the better side, should have scored multiple goals and only really allowed Forest one opportunity — after a high press and a good quick break. And against Bournemouth on Sunday, they largely denied their opponents opportunities and played out from the back excellently, breaking into attack in numbers.

Of course, things haven’t been perfect. With such a newly assembled squad, you inevitably think that the problem is the lack of partnerships and understanding between players. But, in reality, watching the matches tells you something different.

Raheem Sterling, probably Chelsea’s brightest player, has developed good relationships with overlapping right-back Malo Gusto and with centre-forward Nicolas Jackson, who has made the right runs in anticipation of Sterling’s low balls into the box. Jackson has also shown the beginnings of an understanding with Mykhailo Mudryk, both when slipping him in late on against Liverpool — the Ukrainian rounded Alisson but took a heavy touch and the chance was gone — and also with a series of one-twos against Bournemouth on Sunday.

Chelsea’s actual problem is not relationships between players, it’s that individuals haven’t quite settled yet.

Up front, Jackson has been extremely lively and has shown promise in various situations. He links play well. He has offered speed in behind, particularly in the left channel. Although he hasn’t offered much of an aerial threat, his movement is good when wingers or wing-backs are about to cross.

Jackson’s problem is not tactical or about his relationship with team-mates, it is that he is (somewhat literally at times) still finding his feet in English football. He prodded over a seemingly unmissable chance against Forest and also failed to connect with a good cutback. His goals return is just one, from an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.3. That’s a poor showing but suggests an improvement is likely, if not guaranteed.

Interestingly, in his sole top-flight campaign, at Villarreal, he scored 13 goals from an xG of 8.5, a significant overperformance, although ultimately still a fairly modest goals tally.

Moises Caicedo, the costliest of Chelsea’s summer recruits, has been significantly off the pace so far. He conceded a penalty against West Ham, and was caught in possession for Forest’s winner at Stamford Bridge, effectively being responsible for two of Chelsea’s five concessions. But based on his Brighton performances, he’s likely to improve.

In his place for the goalless draw at Bournemouth, Pochettino handed a full league debut to Lesley Ugochukwu, who performed well. Happy receiving the ball under pressure and good on the turn, the 19-year-old seems perfect for the deep midfield role. His problem was that the other two midfielders, Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez, were positioned so high, and he struggled to connect with them. Pochettino tried to solve the issue at half-time by tilting the midfield trio, but this is still a work in progress. The positioning of Fernandez, excellent at finding space and capable of playing various roles, will be crucial in determining Chelsea’s default playing style.

Defensively, Chelsea have been rather good. Their only serious scare against Bournemouth came from a quickly taken and well-worked free kick that Dango Ouattara should have finished — and they do seem a little susceptible to quick runners sneaking in behind at the far post, as evidenced by their concession against Liverpool on the opening weekend.

But Chelsea haven’t conceded many chances. According to Opta, their opponents’ open-play xG tally is the second-lowest in the Premier League. Thiago Silva, 39 next week, remains one of the best centre-backs in the league.

Premier League open play xG conceded in 2023-24

Only Manchester City have allowed their opponents less than Chelsea

And, while we’re on the subject, their own open-play xG tally is the sixth-best, behind champions City and the impressive Brighton & Hove Albion, but only slightly behind Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur. and Liverpool. Only Brentford have created more xG from set pieces.

Pochettino’s team are also controlling games, averaging the highest share of possession in the league (69.6 per cent), although it’s worth considering that this is partly down to game state — Chelsea have needed to make the running for the entirety of matches against Forest and Bournemouth.

Of course, not everyone cares for statistical analysis, but ultimately the numbers simply represent what is clear from watching Chelsea — their defence is solid, their midfield probably needs a couple of tweaks, their attackers are on the same wavelength and are just lacking small details.

Everyone wants Chelsea to be in crisis, but it seems fairly clear that they are not.

[MoroccanBlue 5,302]

Getting tired of these Chelsea are shit but aren't really shit tactical analysis reports which will likely be tossed in the bin come January when we still aren't scoring goals. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,302]

8 minutes ago, Vesper said:

 

Everyone wants Chelsea to be in crisis, but it seems fairly clear that they are not.

Is this a joke? 5 points in 5 games in what is our easy fixture list. 2nd bottom after Everton in 2023 points wise. 

 

[robsblubot 3,504]

39 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Is this a joke? 5 points in 5 games in what is our easy fixture list. 2nd bottom after Everton in 2023 points wise. 

 

It's because there is nothing surprising happening to some of us who have seen these types of approaches before: 1. overly young and inexperienced squad, 2. from scratch (too many changes from prior seasons)

I just can't imagine folks like Pochettino and the myriad of professionals at the club being surprised by young players' inconsistencies and difficulties coping with the physicality and pressure of the PL.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

52 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Is this a joke? 5 points in 5 games in what is our easy fixture list. 2nd bottom after Everton in 2023 points wise. 

 

£1 bn spent, 4 managers in 1 season & a huge lack of senior players.

Would say if we don’t get wins in our next 4 or 5 league games - we will 90% be in full blown crisis and potentially looking for manager number 5. I know its maybe OTT but I don’t get the impression of Todd & co and the sporting directors ideas/vision shouldering a large chunk of the blame anytime soon if results don’t improve so inevitably Poch will be. 

I mean United have had their worst start to a PL season after 5 games EVER and the media says they “are in crisis”. Yet they’ve spent nowhere near as much as we have, have scored similar amount of goals and sit 1 point above us.

2nd bottom ahead of Everton for points in 2023 is absolutely shambolic. Wouldn’t have happened under Tuchel but we are long beyond that. 

Edited September 19, 2023 by OneMoSalah

[robsblubot 3,504]

Lampard time! 😆

Or maybe Potter given that we are prob still paying him. 😅

Seriously, regardless what you think of the approach the club has taken regarding transfers, the one thing that should not be a surprise to anyone is the struggles and time required to get something going.

This was predicted by a number of people here, myself included. If we knew this, so did professionals working at the club, including Poch. Reckon he knew exactly what he was getting himself into and the challenge ahead.