Pochettino or Todd Boehly? Who is to blame for Chelsea’s abysmal season so far
i

Pochettino has admitted that his job at Chelsea is not safe |Photo Credit: Imago

Pochettino or Todd Boehly? Who is to blame for Chelsea’s abysmal season so far

Asukwo Oduo 21:41 - 04.02.2024

Chelsea under Pochettion has lost 10 games in 23 matches this season despite Todd Boehley spending over a billion pounds

Only four days ago, Chelsea were pummelled by a Liverpool side that were without their regular first-choice fullbacks. 

20-year-old Conor Bradley filled in for Alexandre Arnold at right-back, with the youngster getting on the scoresheet plus adding an assist to cap off a delightful evening. 

Tonight, even though Chelsea took an early lead through Cole Palmer, Wolves still claimed all three points, beating Chelsea 4-2 away from home, thanks to a masterclass from Matheus Cunha who bagged a hat-trick.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Is Pochettino good enough for Chelsea?

Mauricio Pochettino failed woefully at PSG, failing to inspire a star-studded team that included Lionel Messi, Neymar Jnr, and Kylian Mbappe to lift the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy.

The best moment of his career was when he guided Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final in 2019, losing 2-0 to Liverpool. 

Chelsea, under the Argentine gaffer, occupy the 11th position, having lost 10 league games already, one more than they have won this season. The Blues have also conceded 39 goals, scoring just 38 in 23 games so far.  

The Blues have continued to struggle under Pochettino and their opponents have found it so easy to play against them, either at Stamford Bridge or away. Chelsea have lost that fear factor that makes opposing teams shiver whenever they’re coming up against the London club.  

Pochettino admits his job is not safe

After the defeat by Wolves at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino admitted that things have to change otherwise, a different solution should be provided. He said,

“We are not good enough [today]. Myself, also. I’m responsible for this situation. What we showed today was not good enough. We didn’t manage the situation properly and of course no one can be safe. I don’t want to come here and say I am the best. We’re all responsible.

“The players need to take responsibility like I take responsibility. At the moment we’re not matching the history of the club. That’s true. We need to accept it, be critical but we cannot give up. We’ll work hard to change. If it’s not working in this way, we need to move on and find a different solution.”

The buck stops at Todd Boehley’s table 

Todd Boehley has splashed out the cash but unfortunately, he is finding out that spending money alone does not buy success.

Chelsea’s recruitment has been a scattergun approach at best - a team that has spent over £1 billion has Nicolas Jackson as their main striker. Yeah, laughable right?

Moises Caicedo has been named the worst buy of the Premier League and he cost Chelsea £115m. Romeo Lavia since joining has barely kicked a ball. Christopher Nkunku has only started two league games this season. 

Thanks to Todd Boehley, Chelsea have so many players that have been anonymous at best - offering very little value for money. What positives have the likes of Marc Cucurella, Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke, and Mudryk, added to the Blues since their arrival?

The obvious answer is that Boehley intends to build for the future but he's failed to realise that success in the short-term is also very important. 

Todd Boehley has not covered himself in glory since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge and hiring Pochettino was and is still a wrong choice. Where can Chelsea go from here?