Since Mauricio Pochettino returned to England and started the 2023-24 season with Chelsea, it has been a rough one.
The club sold and/or released 14 senior players during the 2023 summer transfer window including fan favourites like Mason Mount and N’Golo Kanté to Manchester United and Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia respectively. These players were replaced by 12 new entries. Three of these are aged 26 while the rest are 22 years old and younger.
In the same season, the club has suffered an injury crisis on a monumental level. Chelsea currently leads the injury league table with 14 players out with injuries. The next clubs on the table are Newcastle and Manchester United with 10 injured players each.
First Stint In England As A Manager
Mauricio Pochettino started his journey in England with Southampton on the 18th of January 2013. His limited understanding of English made him employ an interpreter during press conferences to avoid being misunderstood.
That season, he led the team to a 14th-placed league finish in a season where he beat some of the Premier League big boys like defending champions Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea 3-1, 3-1, and 2-1 respectively. In the next season, his Southampton side finished 8th in the league.
At the end of that season, he was appointed as Tottenham’s next manager replacing Tim Sherwood. The club finished 5th, getting automatic qualification for the Europa League group stage. This was Harry Kane’s breakout season with Pochettino preferring him over the club’s highest goal scorer for the previous season, Emmanuel Adebayo. He scored 31 goals in all competitions.
In the subsequent four seasons, Mauricio Pochettino led the club to four consecutive top-four finishes, including a title challenge once in the 2015-16 season. In the 2019–20 season, the club started poorly, winning just three of their first 12 league games. After getting knocked out of the EFL Cup by Colchester United, the club decided to pathways with Pochettino. This marked his 353rd match in England in all competitions.
Return To England As Chelsea Manager
After a season and a half in France with PSG in which he had managed the trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr. en route to his first league trophy as a manager, he was released and spent the next season out of work.
Almost exactly one year after being dismissed by PSG, Pochettino resumed his new position as Chelsea manager. It was the first time the club was not participating in any UEFA competition since the 2016–17 season as a result of finishing in 12th position in the previous campaign.
After a strange transfer window, Pochettino started the season with a hard-fought draw at home to Liverpool. All through the season, the team has suffered inconsistencies, leading to topsy-turvy results, although the club once had a 3-game winning streak.
The club got to the final of the EFL League Cup, but we’re unfortunate to finish second after a late Virgil Van Dijk goal won the trophy for Liverpool. Chelsea also made it to the semifinals of the FA Cup, losing their first game against Manchester City in three meetings.
From the 12th of February to the 15th of April, the club had an 8-game unbeaten streak, starting from a 3-1 away win against Crystal Palace, and included a 1-1 away draw against defending champions Manchester City.
The run also included the 4-3 breathtaking home clash against Manchester United which could potentially turn out to be a Premier League classic, and a 6-0 home win against Everton. The streak was ended by a 5-0 away loss to London rivals, Arsenal.
The club bounced back to come from two goals down against top-four hopefuls, Aston Villa, to force a 2-2 draw. This was Pochettino’s 399th game in England in all competitions.
Also Read: Pochettino Slams Jackson, Thiago Silva Foresees Future Role
First Chelsea Home Clash With Tottenham
Unlike the first leg of the historic tie, Chelsea started on the front foot. This was the 177th meeting between these two teams since 1909. Trevor Chalobah, a Chelsea graduate, scored his first Premier League goal of the season in the 24th minute to open the scoring. It came as a header from a sublime Conor Gallagher free-kick cross. After an extensive VAR check, the goal stood.
In the second half, Tottenham came out determined to get an equalizer. This was evident in the over 60% possession they had. All the same, in the 72nd minute, Nicolas Jackson drove a dagger through the hearts of the traveling Tottenham fans with his 11th league goal of the season. A spirited defensive performance saw the game out to give Chelsea their 10th double ever over Tottenham, and their 7th clean sheet of the season.
After the game, when asked about his win in his 400th game in management in England, Pochettino said:
“I think the most important is to win games and today was an important game for the three points to really believe and to have the hope to go to Europe next season. That is the challenge. With all the negative circumstances, we are dealing so well, managing so well and we are so happy.”
There are three points between Chelsea in 8th position and Manchester United in 6th position, and with three games left to the end of the season, Pochettino believes the club can still make it to Europe.
Also Read: Ex-Liverpool Star Optimistic Jürgen Klopp’s Comeback Is Imminent
About the Author
Ebenezer has been an avid writer for over a decade and a half. Within that period, he has garnered experience in various fields such as editing, graphics design, transcribing, sales, data analysis, and football management.
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