Mauricio Pochettino auditioning to keep his Chelsea job

Mauricio Pochettino auditioning to keep his Chelsea job in the season run-in.

Chelsea appears to have found their stride under Mauricio Pochettino, after healing from a term marred by inconsistencies, injury and insolent.

A positive run has seen the club move from bottom half to two points within of a place in Europe next season, and the feeling around Stamford Bridge is that it’ll only get better from here.

It has taken three games before the end of the season but the signs at this stage hold a lot of promise and prospects, ones that will leave the Chelsea hierarchy in dilemma.

Mauricio Pochettino looked like a failed experiment not long ago, a topic which gave rise to a lot of top managers being linked with the Chelsea job.

Ruben Amorim, Roberto De Zerbi to name but a few generated a lot of attention as they were tipped by journalists and the media to succeed the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.

Although Mauricio Pochettino looked like he was not saving his job at some point in time, there was no denying he had Chelsea playing in the ways of winners, but was let down by individuals in the set-up.

The long journey to the promising present

It was not all down to the manager but the players have their share of the blame, probably the lion share in Chelsea’s shortcoming earlier in the season. Unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, it is the captain that bears the brunt of the sinking ship.

Leadership troubles, one of many that saw Conor Gallagher named captain in the absence of Reece James while Thiago Silva was reportedly at loggerheads with the manager, did played its part in upsetting Chelsea’s season.

Inexperience, which is most time troubles for a team filled with youth was also a malady Mauricio Pochettino had to deal with. The fraction amongst the players was visible as each played for himself and not for the team.

Everything seems to be getting better this day, including the onfield issues that were threatening the Argentine’s tenure not long ago.

Misfiring attackers earlier on

Chelsea failed to capitalize on opportunities in games as the attackers missed a lot of chances. Nicolas Jackson, Raheem Sterling and others were guilty on several occasions.

Despite being one of the top two most creative teams in the Premier League at the start of it, it was the same period Mauricio Pochettino watched his team struggle to score goals, due to the players’ inability to convert the chances.

Chelsea lost the plot earlier in the season following a run of three winless in the league, which featured two 1-0 home defeats to Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, between a goalless draw with Bournemouth in the Vitality stadium.

In the loss to Forest, Chelsea created three big chances and missed it all. Jackson (two) and Sterling misses costed them in a match they completely dominated, only to be undone by an Anthony Elanga’s second half goal.

Against Aston Villa, despite going a man down earlier in the second half, Chelsea had chances to win the game and created three big ones, but Jackson and Sterling again failed to finish them off.

As the inconsistency continued into the season, the impact of Cole Palmer was the only consolation in what was heading to becoming a disastrous project, which costed hundreds of millions.

You wonder what the fate of Mauricio Pochettino would be without the former Manchester City youngster. Palmer has won 26 points for Chelsea in this season’s Premier League, no player has won more in the competition.

Seven of his 21 goals in the Premier League have also been match winners, level with Erling Haaland, no player has more so far.

Mauricio Pochettino led the club to the final of the Carabao Cup, where they faced an injury ruined Liverpool side. The odds were in their favour to claim victory in Wembley, but then again, they came short.

The Argentine was again left to explain how his side created four big chances but was unable to beat the goalkeeper even once, before a Virgil van Dijk’s extra time header condemned them to defeat.

Attacking wise, the club has been let down by some poor finishing. So far in the Premier League, only the trio of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have registered more expected goals than Chelsea’s 71.0.

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Nonetheless, they ranked fifth for goals scored thanks to their remarkable run of late, which has produced 15 goals in their last five league games.

Sloppy and unlucky with defenders

Chelsea, albeit with their misfiring attackers, the defense has contributed to most of the troubles for Chelsea this season.

Chelsea Football Club, renowned for their resilience in defense, has experienced a different fortune on that front so far this season, that they have already conceded 59 league goals with three games to spare.

The 59 goals conceded is a new record of most for Chelsea since the start of the new Premier League era in 1992, as it surpassed a record of 55 goals conceded, set in the 1994-95 and 1996-97 seasons.

The manager has been forced to make several changes to the back four due to injuries and lack of form.

The inexperience of many of the center back has costed the club on several occasions this season. Questions have and are still being asked of the French duo of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, if they can play at the level demanded at Chelsea.

Reece James has been in and out of the team and the same is the case for Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella, the latter who returned from injury recently and has been turning in world class performances, inverting into midfield from left-back.

Midfield imbalance

Maybe coincidentally but Chelsea has become a better side since the injury that ruled out Enzo Fernandez for the remainder of the season, albeit the Argentine had been one of their best players prior this.

In his absence, there’s more balance to how they set-up, mostly in midfield. The duo of Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo hold the base and with their tenacity, they make things tick, covering both defense and connecting attack.

Despite being a sensational midfielder, Enzo does not have the engine to cover grounds like Caicedo or Gallagher, he specializes in passing, and most times delays progression of the ball.

Pressing is a big asset for midfielders and Enzo is not so good at that, except maybe in tight spaces. Though he could return and make it back into the team but it is undeniable that the chemistry between Caicedo and Gallagher is doing wonders for Chelsea.

But who knows, maybe Enzo had been playing through the pain in recent games as he repeatedly picked up his groin injury long before his operation. It’ll be interesting to see how they set up when he returns.

However, these days, it is looking like the club can become more steady and can sustain both performance and positive results, something they have not been able to do all season under Mauricio Pochettino.

Light at the end of the tunnel for Mauricio Pochettino

With three games to the end of the season, the uncertainty surrounding the future of Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea has become a thing of the past and the club now focuses on other objectives.

Although the club prefers qualification for the Europa League rather than Conference League, it is the latter that is more realistic at the moment, the club will be asking too much of a fate that is not even in their hands at the moment.

Sustaining this positive run of form is very crucial as they can still secure a European place next season. Chelsea could do without the distractions in the coming weeks, and maybe Pochettino can seize the opportunity to turn everything to his favour.

After nine months and 48 games in charge of the club, with one Cup final and a semi final elimination, Mauricio Pochettino appears to be auditioning for the job ahead of the next season.

Even if the club eventually fall short in their quest to reach Europe, Chelsea will know better than show Mauricio Pochettino the exit door because a new manager means starting over. And you’re never too sure what you’ll get.

If the positve result is maintained until the final day of the season, the job is as good as secured for him, and Chelsea will be left with the hope that it is not just a flash in the pan, but a sustainable run, to a successful era.It has taken time and slowly but surely, Chelsea are looking like the pride of london, again.

Hassan Afolabi