The troubles of Chelsea post the Abramovic era have continued in the 23/24 season as well. The Premier League side is on the verge of not qualifying for Europe for the second successive time, which is a huge embarrassment for a club of Chelsea.
There is criticism around the playing style of the West London club and the fans aren’t happy with the direction their club is heading. The club’s manager has had to bear the brunt of their crisis, with his job being constantly on the line.
🚨 Should Pochettino be sacked or be given more time? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zP7hrZwRtR
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 23, 2024
However, the criticism of the Argentine has overshadowed his achievements with a very inexperienced Chelsea squad. ‘The Blues’ have made great strides with Mauricio Pochettino in the 23/24 season, and it won’t make any sense to sack him now.
1. Mauricio Pochettino has taken the best out of young players
Chelsea has modeled their transfer policy around signing under-25 players. The past two managers of Chelsea, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard could not identify the talent in these players, which cost the club dearly. On the other hand, Mauricio Pochettino has turned many of Chelsea’s players into world-class talents.
The Argentine manager has earned the reputation of a manager who is good at nurturing talents, due to his exploits at Tottenham Hotspur. Under such circumstances, sacking the manager would dearly hamper Chelsea’s youth development.
The obvious name in this regard is Cole Palmer, who moved from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The 21-year-old is easily the breakthrough player of the PL season, with an astounding 20 goals and 9 assists in 29 games. The Englishman’s G/A of 29 is just two behind Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (31) who has accumulated the most G/A in the PL 23/24 season.
I hope you are all watching very closely what Pochettino is doing with Noni Madueke. He is taking him under his wing & helping him develop & mature.
Is this not exactly why we brought him in? His man-management is elite, you just can’t deny it 👏🏼💙pic.twitter.com/5t1MaUFGK7
— Dean (@DeanCFC_) May 2, 2024
Another player that comes to our mind is one of Cole Palmer’s best friends Noni Madueke. The 22-year-old has impressed with his outrageous dribbling skills and is a very composed figure in front of the opposition’s goalpost.
Mauricio Pochettino has elevated Conor Gallagher, who was once an unwanted figure to the status of club captain. The player has become one of the best midfielders in Europe in the 23/24 season, attracting a lot of interest from other clubs. The Argentine manager has also handed out debuts to players like Alfie Gilchrist who is set to lead the club in the future.
2. Mauricio Pochettino has found a distinct style of play, unlike Graham Potter or Frank Lampard
The prime reason behind the failures of the first two managers in the Todd Boehly era was the fact they could not find their perfect starting lineup. Both Lampard and Potter were given a plethora of talents to choose from, which might have confused them. Frank Lampard and Graham Potter had to therefore constantly experiment with their squads, in hopes of a favorable result, which hurt Chelsea.
However, this hasn’t been the case with Mauricio Pochettino who has found the perfect playing system for Chelsea in his first season. The manager has built his team around key players like Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer with a decent ebb and flow to their playing style.
What has been more impressive about Mauricio Pochettino has steered the ship of Chelsea well, amidst a huge injury crisis. Many key players like Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, and Reece James have been injured for the majority of the season.
Delighted to see Mauricio Pochettino changed tactics and give us a shape and identity to really believe in.
I really hope this is the turning point and we build from here, because I am beginning to see a blueprint for the future.
Brilliant stuff 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/IUcBw4kWTt
— Tom Overend (@tovers98) May 2, 2024
The age of experimentation with squads is gone at Chelsea, with Poch finally figuring out his core group of players. The only issue with the club currently is their leaky defense, with none of their big-money signings proving to be helpful. Maybe some good investment in the defensive department will sort this problem out for Chelsea.
3. Chelsea was inches away from winning a trophy under Pochettino
As mentioned earlier, Pochettino has been overly criticized for his time at Chelsea. The West London club hasn’t been that poor, as mentioned on the internet and the media. Certainly, not qualifying for Europe won’t go down well with the Chelsea owners, but Chelsea has had their fair share of glory in the 23/24 season.
The club could have won two trophies in a season which has been described as a very disappointing one. Chelsea reached the finals of the Carabao Cup where lost to Liverpool by a narrow 1-0 margin. Moreover, Chelsea had the upper hand in the game but wasn’t helped with poor finishing in front of the goal.
The club also reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and almost caused an upset by beating Manchester City, but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat there as well. However, these 2 defeats should not undermine the progress that Chelsea have made in the 23/24 season.
The club that finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League last season, might secure a top-half finish this time around. This isn’t an easy thing to do for a manager in his first season, considering the injury crisis and the number of inexperienced players in the club. Mauricio Pochettino has certainly done a great job at reinstalling the winning mentality in Chelsea and is bound to take the club to new heights in the upcoming season.