No rushing the process as Pochettino insists Chelsea will click
SLOW START: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
WHAT IS GOING ON at Chelsea?
This Thursday marks the first anniversary of Thomas Tuchel's sacking, after Chelsea had won three and lost two of their first six league games, and Mauricio Pochettino's record so far is no better. The Argentinian has presided over two defeats and just one win in the league, and the booing that emanated from the stands at Stamford Bridge on Saturday suggested the natives are already restless.
Nottingham Forest had just won at Chelsea for the first time in 28 years, thanks to a clinical strike from former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga early in the second half, and the Blues' response was best summed up by Nicolas Jackson, the €35m signing from Villareal, who spooned a shot over the Forest crossbar from four yards.
The Senegalese is one of 15 new players this season, part of the 25 signings that Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbahli have made since taking over the club last summer in a spending spree in excess of one billion Euros.
Yet this Chelsea team looks no better than the one that got Tuchel sacked, and the same flaws persist – a lack of creativity in midfield, a shaky defence and, most damagingly, no forward clinical enough to put chances away.
Jackson was not the only culprit, with Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandes missing chances and failing to stretch Matt Taylor in the Forest goal.
No-one in blue showed the coolness of Elanga, who finished clinically after running on to Taiwo Awoniyi's through ball when Fernandes lost possession in the Chelsea half.
Pochettino admitted his side needed to be more ruthless and spoke, like so many under-pressure managers before him, about “trusting the process.”
It was a phrase used often by Mikel Arteta when Arsenal were underperforming before last season's rise to the higher echelons of the table, and Chelsea's new owners have made it clear that they see the Gunners as a model of success, sticking with a plan, building a side of mostly young players with a clear vision of playing style.
But perhaps they are attempting to do too much too soon. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger used to insist a successful team can only integrate three or four new players at a time, yet Chelsea have changed the bulk of their squad over the past year.
Pochettino has not escaped criticism from fans for his insistence on playing with a five-man defence, three central defenders and two wing-backs, when he used a back four in pre-season.
He has not been helped by long-term injuries to Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja, two forwards who would be expected to help Chelsea's goal threat, but there is still a lack of creativity from midfield, where Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, who cost over €100m each, were no match for Ryan Yates, who rose through Nottingham Forest's academy ranks via a succession of loan moves in the lower divisions. Local lad Joe Worrall led by example in defence, putting in a man-of-the-match display just days after his uncle, a police officer, was fatally hit by a train while trying to rescue a member of the public. Steve Cooper paid tribute to his captain's stoicism.
“I think the club has helped him, in terms of giving him a bit of a release. The guys showed him a huge amount of respect in the dressing room after what he’s been through.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the man that he’s been over the last week or so. I know how important today will be for him, and it will give him and his family some respite.
“Nothing can make what happened any better, but at least this gives them some nice feelings for a short while. I can’t speak highly enough of Joe, with what he and his family have been through. A lot of that result was for them."
Another home-grown player, Brennan Johnson, was sold to Spurs for €50m on deadline day, but Forest still looked more dangerous than Chelsea and Cooper was phlegmatic about it.
“We as a coaching group trust the club in what they need to do to help. We respect that.”
He also spoke about the value of home-grown talent, something Chelsea are lacking. “Everyone loves a home-grown player, those who have local knowledge, and we've lost one (Johnson) but still got a few who are important to the mix. We've got a real variety in the dressing room in terms of age and nationalities.”
Pochettino has a similar problem to Graham Potter, one of his predecessors, in trying to manage a large squad of young players, most of whom are still trying to settle in.
“We will have ups and downs, and we have a very young squad, who will make mistakes like today, but you cannot accelerate the process.
“By being positive and working hard I am sure this team is going to get the results we deserve.”
CHELSEA 3-5-2 Sanchez 6; Disasi 6, Silva 6, Colwill 6; Gusto 6 (Mudryk 77), Caicedo 5 (Maatsen 77), Fernandes 6, Gallagher 7 (Palmer 62), Chilwell 6 (Madueke 62); Sterling 6, Jackson 5
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 4-5-1 Turner 7; Aurier 7 (Montiel 73), Worrall 9, Boly 8, McKenna 6; Danilo 6 (Elanga 45+1), Mangala 6 (Tavares 73), Yates 7, Gibbs-White 7, Aina 7 (Kouyate 73; Awoniyi 7 (Wood 65)
Ref Tim Robinson 7/10
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