The last time Chelsea were sixth in the Premier League in early November 2022, a lot of things were different.
Mauricio Pochettino was unemployed. Cole Palmer was beginning to earn more first-team minutes for Manchester City. Christopher Nkunku was amid a run of 11 goals in 11 matches for RB Leipzig. Moises Caicedo was part of a Brighton team who had just beaten Chelsea 4-1 at the Amex Stadium.
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Evidence that Chelsea were capable of making it back to this point has been thin on the ground in the ensuing 16 months. Much of that period has been spent mired in mid-table with a mess of a squad but, in the past four and a half matches, they have finally backed up Pochettino’s weekly claims of progress. Coupled with the obliging stumbles of rivals, this run of results has created the conditions for a perfectly timed charge towards Europa League qualification.
None of this looked remotely likely last month as Arsenal dismantled a hapless and feeble Chelsea with maximum malice at Emirates Stadium on the night Pochettino had challenged his players to prove they were “Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club”.
Wednesday at the Amex Stadium provided the latest reminder of Palmer’s importance to this team, with his sublime guided header from Marc Cucurella’s cross putting Chelsea in front. However, there were also signs that a team of real substance and promise is taking shape around him.
Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile looked like a solid defensive partnership until the late Brighton barrage sparked by Reece James’ mindless red card. On either side of them, Malo Gusto and Cucurella often swapped positions with Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher — an interesting tactical wrinkle from Pochettino that at times short-circuited the home side’s aggressive pressing. Both also got forward to create goals with smart underlapping runs.
Even as his finishing touch deserted him, Nicolas Jackson led the line with slick, intelligent hold-up and link-up play that invariably involved Palmer, the brain of Chelsea’s attack, while Noni Madueke carried his usual direct threat from the right flank.
Mykhailo Mudryk was deprived the chance to do the same from the left by Tariq Lamptey’s arm to the head, but the sharp run and nerveless finish of his replacement, Nkunku, was a flash of the rare ability Pochettino has been almost entirely unable to call upon this season.
This was a fluid, confident, aggressive Chelsea performance that matched Brighton’s physicality and intensity — all qualities that Pochettino covets. Within this context, it was more than a little jarring to hear his dismissive response when asked in his post-match press conference if this now feels like his team.
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“That is not my team,” he said with a hint of annoyance. “That’s Chelsea’s team. Not my team. What does that mean?
“For sure, with time, if you ask another coach who had the possibility of 10 years or 25 years, like Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson, then of course it is your team. In that case, we can say Pep Guardiola because every six months you have the power to invest or not to invest and bring players you want in. In one season, with all the circumstances, I am so proud of the squad.”
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It is impossible to separate Pochettino’s spiky demeanour from the spectre of the review of his job performance, led by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley with the active engagement of the owners, that looms over the end of the season. The Argentinian even appeared to reference it, adding: “For sure, there are people to consider and analyse our job and then I have one more year (on my contract) here and that’s it.”
For all his claims that his words are often twisted or taken out of context, Pochettino is a smart, seasoned media operator who does not say anything by accident. Even as Chelsea have found an upward trajectory on the pitch in recent weeks, he has rarely painted a picture of a happy ship off it, even suggesting recently that he could choose to leave this summer.
That would seem out of character for a coach who battled on until he was sacked at Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. He has already fought through a lot at Chelsea this season and, having done so, appears to be reaping the rewards with every win that extends this late dash to European qualification.
Chelsea’s strong finish to the season necessarily shifts the complexion of the decision to be made over Pochettino. Voluntarily parting with a coach who ends the campaign with five consecutive victories (which can be achieved by beating Bournemouth) and secures European qualification with an inexperienced, injury-plagued squad would be bold to the point of unprecedented in the Premier League.
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Pochettino’s bond with his players appears strong. “All credit to the manager,” Palmer told BBC Sport after the Brighton win. “All the players love the manager and want to fight for him.”
Co-owner Todd Boehly sent his own message at the Qatar Economic Forum this week. “The number one thing is you’ve got to be patient,” he said regarding the Chelsea project. “You’re putting something together and you’re expecting it to come together really quickly, but the reality is that anything really good takes a little bit of time.”
Pochettino feels anything but secure and, as long as uncertainty reigns, the long-awaited progress Chelsea are making on the pitch remains fragile.
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
