Four things Mauricio Pochettino “cannot escape being held accountable for” for by owners | OneFootball

Sports writers in general like Mauricio Pochettino and do all they can to make excuses for him. Kieran Gill at the Daily Mail is no exception. But after last night’s 5-0 defeat, he had to take stock of whether the coach is actually doing his part for Chelsea.

He noted four things in particular which Pochettino can be blamed for:

“He cannot escape being held accountable for how Chelsea have crumbled into a steaming pile of price tags. For how the defending was non-existent for the short corner that Ben White scored from. For how Mykhailo Mudryk does not seem to know where to be and when in his system. For how this young team seem to emerge for second halves as if they have been sung a lullaby. For how in a division full of discernible styles of play, it is difficult to see what Chelsea are trying to do.”

To break that down: set pieces, not improving players (Mudryk is just one example), poor starts second halves, lack of identity in play.

It’s devastating but true on all counts. And even the most staunch Pochettino defender will have to admit that there’s been little or no progress in those four areas, which between them add up to the majority of what it is to be a manager.

The fact that, as Gill mentions elsewhere in the article, the players “love” him means nothing if he can’t get them to play at a minimum standard befitting of this club. There are so many completely fair excuses being made for the coach – the injuries, the transfers, the average age of the team. But even with all of those taken into account, we should have seen steady improvement in those 4 crucial areas.

The articles notes that Pochettino will be judged “in the summer.”

Well the summer is only 6 games away now, and if things don’t change now, it may well be curtains for the manager.