Chelsea fans’ poverty-chanting began just over a minute after kick-off in Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. Despite the fact that many parts of England are blighted by financial inequality, including London, regular visitors to Liverpool still find it funny to mock a city with a long and painful history of socio-economic problems. So, to hear Chelsea supporters singing songs about starvation and unemployment wasn’t in the least bit surprising – or amusing. What followed, though, was legitimately hilarious.
Firstly, Sean Dyche’s Everton made a mockery of Mauricio Pochettino and his expensively-assembled squad, triumphing 2-0 to move themselves away from the relegation zone – and draw Chelsea ever closer to it.
Secondly, Pochettino suggested in his post-match press conference that his employers might have to spend even more money in the January transfer window to salvage this shambles of a season. The Blues boss may have managed to keep a straight face in front of the press – suggesting he was deadly serious about the perceived lack of quality available to him – but neutrals all across the country couldn’t help but raise a smile.
Chelsea have become a laughing stock, the source of inspiration for a million memes, the gif that keeps on giving.
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More losses than wins
In fairness, there have been some encouraging displays under Pochettino, most notably against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City – though all three games were at home and they failed to win any of them, primarily due to Chelsea’s costly lapses of concentration at the back, and woeful finishing up front.
The 51-year-old can’t be held accountable for stupid mistakes or shocking misses (even it wasn’t a huge surprise to hear reports of unrest among the forwards over a perceived lack of tactical instruction). However, every manager is ultimately judged by results and, so far this season, the Blues have lost more league games (seven) than they’ve won (five), and conceded as many goals as they’ve scored (26).
No excuses but…
Pochettino has attempted to make excuses for Chelsea’s rotten results (while simultaneously and very humorously insisting he’s not trying to make excuses for Chelsea’s rotten results) by pointing to a lengthy injury list and claiming that he needs time to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Neither argument holds any weight. On November 25, Chelsea were routed 4-1 by a Newcastle side that has been decimated by injuries this season – and drained by a brave bid to survive the Champions League’s ‘Group of Death’. Chelsea, let us not forget, aren’t even competing in any European competition this season.
Fatigue simply cannot be put forward as a factor in Chelsea’s inconsistent displays – and yet Pochettino ludicrously insinuated an extra day’s rest had been decisive in last week’s abject 2-1 loss to Manchester United, another team fighting for their lives in the Champions League.
Also, when it comes to the pleas for patience, Pochettino knew what he was getting into. He was well aware that the pressure would be on right from the very first game to show signs of meaningful improvement with a collection of multi-million pound signings.
It’s not like he hasn’t been in this kind of situation before. Despite being burned at Paris Saint-Germain (one of Chelsea’s few rivals for the title of the worst transfer-market operators in world football), he still decided to take the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge, so sympathy is thin on the ground.
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Pochettino safe by default
For example, at Goodison Park on Sunday, the Blues fielded a starting line-up worth approximately £468m ($587m) in transfer fees. Raheem Sterling (£47.5m/$60m) and Nicolas Jackson (£32m/$40m) also featured off the bench. And yet Chelsea slumped to a 2-0 defeat that was as embarrassing as the conduct of their supporters.
As it stands, there is no suggestion that Pochettino’s position is under threat, not least because it would represent yet another admission that the owners had erred badly in their choice of manager. Boehly & Co. shockingly sacked Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel just seven games into last season, abandoned the Graham Potter project after only seven months and then comically installed Frank Lampard on an interim basis.
Chelsea may have some idiotic followers (as we saw and heard at Goodison), but the board would find it difficult to convince even the most ardent of supporters that the owners have any idea of what they’re doing if Pochettino were fired before the midway point of the season.
Not that they haven’t already been made to look ridiculous, of course. Pochettino’s mere suggestion that Chelsea’s squad needs strengthening is a stunning indictment of the mess the club have made of the transfer market over the past 18 months. If Pochettino is correct – and the squad still needs a defender, a central midfielder and a striker, as has been claimed – what does that say about the owners? That they’re as bad at picking players as coaches, perhaps?
