Chelsea finally take the risks that might make them a Pochettino team
After saying the 3-1 win at Aston Villa last week could be a turning point for Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino, it would have been typical of them to follow that result by failing to win against a side they have beaten 13 times in a row, that happen to be on the brink of sacking their manager, all while being without their two best players.
Chelsea ended up winning 3-1 against Crystal Palace on Monday evening but they did not make it easy for themselves after a sterile first-half performance.
Pochettino’s side went into half-time with 79% possession, seven touches in Crystal Palace’s box, 340 more successful passes than their hosts, but only one shot, which was not on target. It was the most passes made (420) by a team without registering a shot on target in a Premier League half in over 20 years. Proper Chels, that.
That statistic sums up much of the Blues’ 2023/24 campaign It was all bark, no bite, no tempo, knocking the ball around needlessly, failing to threaten. It was pretty much a training exercise.
We have often bemoaned the lack of philosophy under Pochettino and the opening 45 minutes showed there has been a philosophy this whole time; it just happened to be quite sh*t.
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Struggling against the weaker sides in the division and looking dangerous against the better sides has become a theme this season for Chelsea but the second half on Monday night shows that the Blues have it in them to win games in which they are the favourites – which we have not seen nearly enough from a £1billion squad.
The way Chelsea had operated in the opening 45 minutes made it look like Jefferson Lerma’s first-half screamer would be the only goal of the night. That was not the case after three goals in a single half came via a few tactical tweaks and a simple half-time message from Pochettino: stop messing about and take some risks.
You have to take risks to reap the rewards and a risk for a Chelsea player is going forward instead of sideways. That helped an anonymous Cole Palmer grow into the game, it helped Malo Gusto have his best match for the Blues, and it saw goals come from a midfield that has been so ineffective in the final third this season.
Conor Gallagher was typically the man of the match against Crystal Palace – for whom the England international was able to grow as a player on loan. When things are not going your way, a former player will score their first two league goals of the season against you. That’s just how football works.
Gallagher’s equaliser was expertly taken at an awkward height. It was the first time all night that Chelsea tried to force the issue and Moises Caicedo’s pre-assist pass for Gusto felt like the first time a visiting player attempted a through ball all night.
After the goal to make it 1-1, Chelsea kept pushing and probing in what was a brilliant 45 minutes from them.
Gusto was proving himself to be an outstanding outlet, which was helped by the immaturity of Matheus Franca, while Enzo Fernandez was displaying his superb passing range when the French right-back was in space.
The tempo increased and did not fall away until the full-time whistle. Palmer was on it and created Gallagher’s second goal, finding his England team-mate on the edge of the box. The finish was excellent and Chelsea made sure of the three points with a Fernandez nail in the coffin three minutes later, courtesy of another Palmer assist.
When coming up against the weaker sides in the Premier League between now and the end of the season, we will need to see Monday’s second half across the entire match. When Chelsea play at a high tempo and take risks on the ball, they ask questions of their opposition’s defence and show they can be ruthless.
While there has not been a familiar feel at Stamford Bridge over the last 18 months, there is also not a familiar feel to Selhurst Park and Crystal Palace.
Obviously, there was no Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise on Monday and Palace are a team that more often than not lean on the individual ability of their forward players, but the atmosphere was not there until the 85th minute and Matheus Franca struggled under the pressure of being that guy – while wearing Wilfried Zaha’s shirt number. Zaha was that guy for years and if Monday’s match is anything to go by, Franca has a long way to go.
Monday night’s match might be the last time we see Roy Hodgson manage a Premier League match and while Pochettino seemed to be staring down the barrel earlier this month, he has quickly changed the narrative like he changed Chelsea’s approach at half time against Palace. It was a real Jekyll and Hyde showing, and Poch will hope Chelsea’s season can reflect that with a strong finish to 2023/24.
Marcus Rashford ‘can leave Man Utd’ in summer amid ‘active’ PSG interest
The Ligue 1 giants look destined to lose Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid and have reignited their interest in Rashford to replace the frenchman.
PSG first attempted to lure Rashford from Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, and transfer expert Rudy Galetti has revealed there’s a distinct possibility they will try to land the England international again this summer.
He wrote in his Caughtoffside column: ‘The interest in Marcus Rashford remains active and, with the right proposal, the England international can leave Manchester United’.
While United and Erik ten Hag will be reticent to lose one of their key players, finance expert Kieran Maguire has pointed out that United would “solve all issues” relating to FFP if they sanctioned Rashford’s sale.
“If Marcus Rashford was sold, then it would solve all issues that Manchester United face in respect of Financial Fair Play,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“First of all, realistically, they’ll be looking for around about £100million plus in terms of a transfer fee. That would represent pure profit on their accounts as he’s an academy player.
“Secondly, he is costing the club around £15million a year in wages, so removing that would be beneficial to their wage bill.
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“You put those two together, and it would mean they could become very competitive in the transfer market.”
Stan Collymore has picked out Tottenham Hotspur as a potential destination for Rashford.
“For me, it’s really simple — Rashford needs to be at a club where the manager is stable and not going anywhere anytime soon,” Collymore told Caught Offside.
“He needs a manager, who has a lot of control at a club, spends some quality time with him and gets inside his head to figure out exactly how to get the best out of him. If he can find that in Mikel Arteta, so be it but I actually think Ange Postecoglou would do wonders for him.
“Postecoglou would say to Rashford ‘Mate, there’s no pressure, just go out and attack like you did when you were a kid’. He would take the weight of the world off his shoulders and probably help him rediscover his love for the game.
“Let’s be honest as well, I know fans are quick to take the mick but Spurs are a massive club, and there’s no doubt about it, they are heading in the right direction again.”
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Chelsea boss Pochettino ‘under pressure’ but escapes sack as ‘unhappy’ Boehly’s ‘preference’ emerges
Pochettino is the second favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked as Chelsea are enduring another miserable season.
The Blues have shown rare signs of progress this season but these positive moments have preceded more misery. After beating Middlesbrough to reach the Carabao Cup final, Chelsea drew to Aston Villa in the FA Cup before being comfortably beaten in Premier League games against Liverpool and Wolves.
Matheus Cunha scored a hat-trick as Wolves won 4-2 at Stamford Bridge over the weekend to leapfrog Chelsea in the Premier League table.
Girona’s Michel and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi are already being mentioned as potential replacements for Pochettino. It now feels like it’s only a matter of time before the former Tottenham boss is sacked.
Speaking after his side’s loss to Wolves, Pochettino “apologised” to Chelsea‘s supporters as they “need to try to work together”.
“To understand the fans is really important. We want to apologise and feel sorry,” Pochettino told reporters.
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“We are disappointed like them, but until the end we need to fight all together. If we want good results in the future, we need to stay together. During 90 minutes, we need to try to work together.
“With the capacity, the fans will be right to criticise and be angry if the performance is not good. But it’s important (to remember) the players are young. They need support.”
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Romano believes Chelsea’s “preference is to remain with Pochettino and then to assess the situation” in the summer but “the pressure is growing”.
“The pressure is growing around Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea – this is the reality. Of course we know at Chelsea that there is not one person making the decisions, but the owners, the directors, and so it can take some time before they make a final decision,” Romano told Caught Offside.
“While the pressure is growing on Pochettino, the feeling remains that the preference is to remain with Pochettino and then to assess the situation at the end of the season. The situation has not changed in terms of their decision, they are still with their manager and not planning an immediate change of coach.
“But, for sure, the pressure is growing and internal discussions are ongoing. The results are not good at all and that is why the pressure is growing, but for now the plan is to continue and to do the best until the end of the season before assessing the situation in the summer.
“Chelsea are not happy and know they cannot continue like this, and of course Pochettino knows this as well. It’s going to be important to see a reaction in the upcoming games, so let’s see what happens, but for now they keep trusting Pochettino and waiting until the end of the season.”
