Mauricio Pochettino has just been saying what everyone who has been watching Chelsea this season has been saying for a while now. The problems with Chelsea’s team are far bigger than problems with their tactics, strategy and technique. The problems are equally to do with their desire.
“We lay out the strategy. Then, if you are at Chelsea, one natural thing that you need to have is the fire. If not, we are going to struggle all season. We need to show that we care, to show that we are going to be ready to fight. That is non-negotiable. Football is about a lot of things but we need to start with this,” said in his interview on the Chelsea official website.
The reality is that fight has been desperately lacking at times. There was admirable commitment against Brighton with ten men, but the two games either side of that saw some shocking efforts.
In a way it’s utterly damning that Pochettino isn’t able to get his players to actually play for their place after all this time in charge. But equally there is some hope – this is something that can be fixed, if it’s done right.
Let’s hope that Pochettino can cook up the right recipe in the weeks to come. Otherwise it’s his head on the line, let’s face it. Those players are either running for him, or they’re waiting for his exit, and they know it.
