Most embarrassing club of 2023: Chelsea and their supporters proves that money can’t buy class

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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• Embarrassed by Emery and Postecoglou

  It’s also worth pointing out that while Chelsea have several players sidelined, very, very few of them are potential game-changers. Christopher Nkunku should certainly add something to the abysmal attack (though he’s not the world-class No.9 that Boehly has inexplicably neglected to sign in three consecutive transfer windows), Ben Chilwell is a decent wing-back and Reece James is world-class on his day. But even then, injuries happen to every side, and if Pochettino thought he could rely on the latter to stay fit for more than a couple of months, that’s on him.

  At the end of the day, it’s the depth of the squad that’s been affected, not the strength of the starting line-up, and other clubs are coping far, far better and with far fewer resources.

  Both Unai Emery and Ange Postecoglou have lost key men to long-term injuries this term – but Aston Villa and Tottenham are not only getting results, they’re doing so while playing a thrilling brand of football with smaller squads than Chelsea’s – and assembled at a fraction of the cost.

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?

• Facing an FFP nightmare?

  It’s clear, then, that results have to improve, and fast, for everyone concerned. Chelsea sanctioned a historic outlay because they believed they could get the club back into the Champions League by next year at the latest. That now looks like a pipe dream, with the Blues presently 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

  With so many average players tied down to long-term contracts, the nightmare scenario is Chelsea running into Financial Fair Play (FFP) problems because of their inability to get rid of some of the dead wood during the next two transfer windows, and it’s already been reported that the Blues will have to sell before they can buy in January, meaning no easy fix for Pochettino’s problems.

  He does, at least, have a winnable run of games between now and the turn of the year, offering Chelsea a chance to at least move into the top half of the table. Nothing can be taken for granted, of course. Some of the club’s poorest performances have come against sides they were supposed to beat comfortably. Their lack of incisiveness is costing them dearly against teams that sit back, meaning they could struggle to break down Sheffield United, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Luton.

  So, as the festive season approaches, spare a thought for the Blues and their poor supporters. Christmas may be a time of celebration, but it can also be hard on those less fortunate than ourselves, and nobody has had it tougher of late than Chelsea: the most embarrassing club of 2023 – and a brutal reminder that money can’t buy class.

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