The bad start for Poch’s Chelsea

Since Todd Boehly’s arrival as club owner in the summer of 2022, Chelsea have been immersed in a whirlwind of expensive signings, rumors, player sales, manager changes, and endless news that have kept the club in convulsion. Last season, there was a significant investment in several players, such as Enzo Fernández, Raheem Sterling, and Mykhailo Mudryk, and three manager changes (if the interim ones are to be counted).

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All this without obtaining the desired sporting results since they finished in 12th place in the Premier League, were in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and in the third round of the FA Cup and the League Cup, with nothing even remotely close to the expectations for a club of Chelsea’s stature.

In this nascent 2023-24 season, the trend continued at the level of signings as the Blue made the news in the transfer window several times by hiring the services of Moisés Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, or Axel Disasi, to name a few. As for the manager, the bet was on Mauricio Pochettino, who, after a turbulent time at PSG (like almost anyone who passes through the Parisian club), agreed to return to London to manage the Blues after his successful time at Tottenham.

With a practically completely renewed team and a new coaching staff with English football experience, the Blues’s future was bright. However, a month after the start of the season, the situation does not look hopeful. They are fourteenth in the Premier League with only one victory (against the recently promoted Luton Town at Stamford Bridge) and leaving feelings that there is not much improvement compared to the previous season.

Despite having important players in attack like Sterling (who has more than 100 goals in the Premier League) or promising young talent like Mykhailo Mudryk or Nicolas Jackson, the team has problems scoring goals. Focusing on the last 3 league games, they have been unable to score a goal, and it should be noted that two of those games have been at Stanford Bridge.

Finishing is crucial to Chelsea’s woes since they are the second team in the Premier League that makes the most touches on the ball (only behind Manchester City) and the first (tied with Brentford) in big chances missed. Additionally, they are second (tied with Brighton) in hit woodwork, which tells us about a team that generates goal opportunities but fails to achieve them.

Finally, to conclude the statistical analysis of the Blues, they are the second team that touches the ball the most in the rival box, showing that possession of the ball is used to reach advanced pitch areas. In this sense, despite the current situation, it seems that Pochettino has managed to convey his idea and that it has not yet materialized due to a lack of aim. So, the continuity of the Argentine manager can be favorable for the future of this young and renewed Chelsea.