Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly suggests that he has been left encouraged by the team’s recent performances in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has indicated that he feels that the club’s long-term plan is ‘starting to come together’.
The Blues have endured a mixed first campaign with Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, despite losing the EFL Cup final and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
Spending much of the campaign outside the top seven of the Premier League standings has led to increased scrutiny over whether Pochettino will be kept in the dugout for 2024-25.
However, since suffering a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, Chelsea have produced some of their best football of the season, collecting seven points from fixtures against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Pochettino’s side were 2-0 down at half time at Villa before salvaging a 2-2 draw, before 2-0 and 5-0 victories were recorded against two of their London rivals.
As a result, Chelsea are now in a position where victories over Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth would guarantee a minimum of a top-seven finish in the Premier League.
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What has Boehly had to say?
In recent weeks, there has been speculation regarding Pochettino’s position, the suggestion being that the relationship between the Argentine and club officials had become strained.
Chelsea have also been linked with a number of alternatives at a time when Pochettino only possesses a contract until the end of the next campaign.
Nevertheless, speaking during a one-on-one session in West Hollywood, Boehly heaped praise on how the team appears to be developing with Pochettino in charge.
He said: “We’ve seen the last two and a half games, at least in the second half at Aston Villa and Tottenham and West Ham where we played just beautiful football.
“It was so fluid, it was exactly the way we drew it up, when we came out of the back, built up and moved up the pitch, very organised and the number of shots we had on board. In those two and a half games, you could really start to see what we were working on coming together.
“Even the commentary has changed over the last two and a half games. I’ve never seen anything change so quickly.”
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Do Boehly’s comments bode well for Pochettino?
At a time when speculation about Pochettino’s future has been rife, the comments are certainly a welcome boost, but talks are still set to be held at the end of the season.
Reports have indicated that Pochettino’s input into transfers has previously been limited. It is unclear whether that would need to change, the understanding being that he wants more experience and a physically-imposing midfielder in his squad.
Unless Chelsea end the season dismally, and displaying the inconsistency that they have shown all season, supporters will largely back Pochettino remaining at the helm with his squad seemingly starting to flourish under his guidance.