All 'about a process' for faltering giants Chelsea

Pochettino's club appear doomed for another season of Premier League mediocrity/

Sun, 10 Dec, 2023 - 22:30

Ian Whittell

ABDOULAYE Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin scored the goals that continued Everton’s impressive response to their points deduction and left Mauricio Pochettino uttering a familiar refrain.

The Chelsea manager, who brought 12 players into Stamford Bridge this summer for a cost of around £400 million (€466m), wants to spend in January, adding to a bill that has seen owner Todd Boehly invest around £1billion in talent in three transfer windows.

His club appear doomed for another season of Premier League mediocrity after a second consecutive league defeat in the north-west this week, following Wednesday’s loss at Manchester United.

The emphatic loss left Chelsea mired in mid-table, 11 points adrift from the Champions League places and, indeed, but for their 10-point deduction handed out by the Premier League, Everton would be comfortably above them and in the top half of the table this morning.

And that led him to the conclusion that he must spend - with a striker a priority - when the window opens.

“I think it’s about improving,” said Pochettino. “We are talking after four or five months or 16 games in the Premier League, it is about a process.

“With all the chances we had today, we want to score if we want to win a game and be in a different position in the table.

“The team played well and dominated the game against a difficult team like Everton. I think we were much better than them but in the end you need to score.

‘We should create more and yes, of course, after five months we need to check. We need to do something, some movement, that is something to analyse with the sporting director and owner and see what can we do to change the dynamic.

“It is not only to dominate and play well but compete better.

“Now, if we want to improve, it is not only about playing well, it is to be more tough with ourselves and it (requires) a massive assessment from the start of the season and open the transfer window and see what we can do.”

In contrast, and since the Premier League handed Sean Dyche’s side that punishment for breaching their financial sustainability rules, his team has responded impressively.

The first game, post-deduction, ended in a heavy home defeat to Manchester United but victory over Pochettino’s struggling side made it three wins out of three and continued their surge up the table.

In the latest win, Doucoure struck after 54 minutes of a game which had generated little in the way of chances at either end to that point.

With the two teams low on quality in the final third and cancelling each other out, the chance finally came from Dwight McNeil, who surged past Conor Gallagher and played Dominic Calvert-Lewin clean through on the Chelsea goal.

Robert Sanchez blocked the Everton striker’s progress but the ball broke to Doucoure who finished well from a wide angle.

It was the sixth of the season for top scorer Doucoure who was axed from the first team by former manager Frank Lampard but has now scored 11 of his 16 Everton career goals under Dyche.

There were some anxious moments to come for the hosts but, finally in the 92 minute, James Garner’s corner was only half punched clear by substitute keeper Djordje Petrovic, on for the injured Sanchez.

Dobbin met the ball with a superb strike from just inside the area which flew through the crowded box and into the Chelsea goal.

It meant an afternoon of yet more frustration for Pochettino, who saw his injury problems compounded by Reece James and Sanchez coming off, but the lack of consistency and a run of two league wins from their last eight games have left serious question marks over whether they have made any progress under the former Spurs manager.

Last season saw Chelsea lose 16 league games and finish 12th, their lowest league position since 1994, and there are few, if any, signs of significant progress, certainly not when compared to the vast investment in personnel.

Jordan Pickford was forced into his only serious action on 14 minutes, diving to keep out Cole Palmer’s impressive drive after good build-up involving Mykhailo Mudryk and Gallagher.

Chelsea responded to going behind, with Palmer driving a free-kick through the Everton wall and forcing Pickford into a stop on his goalline before Pochettino turned to his bench and threw on Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson on 66 minutes.

It led to more of the same; Sterling crossing for Jackson who could not make contact on a glorious chance, under pressure from Patterson, the last real glimpse of a chance for a stuttering fallen giant.

EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Pickford 6; Young 4 (Patterson 41, 6), Tarkowski 9, Branthwaite 8, Mykolenko 7; Harrison 6 (Dobbin 86), Garner 6, Gueye 6 (Onana 45, 6), McNeil 7; Doucoure 8; Calvert-Lewin 6 (Beto 67, 5). Substitutes (not used) Danjuma, Virginia, Godfrey, Chermiti, Hunt.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Sanchez 6 (Petrovic 84); James 6 (Colwill 26, 6), Disasi 6, Badiashile 6, Cucurella 6 (Maatsen 84); Fernandez 5 (Sterling 66, 5), Caicedo 7; Palmer 8, Gallagher 7, Mudryk 7; Broja 5 (Jackson 66, 5). Substitutes (not used) Silva, Gilchrist, Matos, Castledine.

Referee: M Oliver 7