Pochettino | Agrees to be US National Team Coach

Mb194dc said:
Enzo getting injured has shown our midfield works much better with Caicedo and Gallagher. Unless we switch to a 3, he'll surely be benched.

Palmer has been a revelation with key goals.

Not sure if it's down to Poch or just got lucky.

If we get Europa League, he'll definitely get next season I think.

Have to get top for minimum and deep runs in cups.

The chokes in the final and Semi this season are big ? for him for me. He'll need to win something to dispell it.
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I sort of wanted to post that "...results & performances have picked up since Enzo's injury & Caceido has performed much better as well..." but I wasn't 100% sure if it was true or not as I haven't followed you that closely.

It would be interesting trying to reintegrate Enzo. He surely won't be easily benched with that price tag? Seems a case of either him or Gallagher, but not both, when paired with Caceido? Even when Lavia returns, it would be 4 players for 2, maximum 3 positions (if Palmer stays central, it is 2). Who would you go with to balance things?
 
Said it a few weeks back, but stability, stability, stability should be what Chelsea fans should hope for.

Let this cook over the summer, get at least a Silva replacement and another centre forward, maybe 1 or 2 others, and go again next season under Poch.

Judge the guy in season 2.
 
Ish said:
I sort of wanted to post that "...results & performances have picked up since Enzo's injury & Caceido has performed much better as well..." but I wasn't 100% sure if it was true or not as I haven't followed you that closely.

It would be interesting trying to reintegrate Enzo. He surely won't be easily benched with that price tag? Seems a case of either him or Gallagher, but not both, when paired with Caceido? Even when Lavia returns, it would be 4 players for 2, maximum 3 positions (if Palmer stays central, it is 2). Who would you go with to balance things?
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I think Enzo lack of physicality is a problem, Gallagher isn't as good technically but it looks to me like he competes more, covers more ground. Haven't actually checked the numbers, but looking at our results it's very obvious they've got much better since the team we played yesterday got set, without Enzo. Cucu pushing inside seems to work well as well. We look a very good side now.

The problem next year could be keeping everyone happy, if they can stay fit... The only position we need is more clinical finishing competition for Jackson, not convinced Osheim is a good fit for us though and too expensive and don't see many options on the market there. I'd try Nkunku up front, false 9 or however we want to try it. He can finish as we saw yesterday and before.
 
Mb194dc said:
I think Enzo lack of physicality is a problem, Gallagher isn't as good technically but it looks to me like he competes more, covers more ground. Haven't actually checked the numbers, but looking at our results it's very obvious they've got much better since the team we played yesterday got set, without Enzo. Cucu pushing inside seems to work well as well. We look a very good side now.

The problem next year could be keeping everyone happy, if they can stay fit... The only position we need is more clinical finishing competition for Jackson, not convinced Osheim is a good fit for us though and too expensive and don't see many options on the market there. I'd try Nkunku up front, false 9 or however we want to try it. He can finish as we saw yesterday and before.
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Thanks bud. Interesting times ahead, and as you mentioned, it will be key to try and keep everyone happy - or at least identify those who need to move on because it hasn't worked. You might need some competition out wide as well - unless Madueke and Mudryk can kick it up a notch. I'd assume Sterling is off and Palmer might work out wide right, but he might also be better suited to play centrally.

Jackson seems to have kicked up a gear the last month or 2 as well. Albeit, he still has some big misses in him, his all round play is really useful for everyone else to play off.
 
Mb194dc said:
Enzo getting injured has shown our midfield works much better with Caicedo and Gallagher. Unless we switch to a 3, he'll surely be benched.

Palmer has been a revelation with key goals.

Not sure if it's down to Poch or just got lucky.

If we get Europa League, he'll definitely get next season I think.

Have to get top for minimum and deep runs in cups.

The chokes in the final and Semi this season are big ? for him for me. He'll need to win something to dispell it.
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If he wasn't on an 8 year deal I think you'd already be offering him to La Liga and Serie A teams.

There's certainly a better balance to Chelsea now in final third with the pivot of Gallagher-Caciedo then Palmer in a floating 10 position with two quick wide players either side.

That's the template to keep for next season as Jackson looks better coming off the left aswell.
 
FootballHQ said:
If he wasn't on an 8 year deal I think you'd already be offering him to La Liga and Serie A teams.

There's certainly a better balance to Chelsea now in final third with the pivot of Gallagher-Caciedo then Palmer in a floating 10 position with two quick wide players either side.

That's the template to keep for next season as Jackson looks better coming off the left aswell.
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Mb194dc said:
Enzo getting injured has shown our midfield works much better with Caicedo and Gallagher. Unless we switch to a 3, he'll surely be benched.

Palmer has been a revelation with key goals.

Not sure if it's down to Poch or just got lucky.

If we get Europa League, he'll definitely get next season I think.

Have to get top for minimum and deep runs in cups.

The chokes in the final and Semi this season are big ? for him for me. He'll need to win something to dispell it.
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always_hoping said:
Unlike this season there will be the distraction of European football for Chelsea. My money will be on things to turn pear shaped and Poch to get replaced midway through next season.
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I back them to finish in top 4 next season actually. Think they've been slowly improving in 2024 and only lost 1 PL game since early February which is decent stat. Do believe sacking Poch would disrupt them now.
 
FootballHQ said:
If he wasn't on an 8 year deal I think you'd already be offering him to La Liga and Serie A teams.

There's certainly a better balance to Chelsea now in final third with the pivot of Gallagher-Caciedo then Palmer in a floating 10 position with two quick wide players either side.

That's the template to keep for next season as Jackson looks better coming off the left aswell.
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The problem isn't Enzo, the problem is that when he's played Gallagher has been shoehorned into that 10 role. And because Gallagher isn't a great player in the final 3rd, Enzo was constantly called on to push up and that left the midfield exposed.

An ideal version of Chelsea probably has Colwill as the left back (but actually LCB in a back 3 in possession), Enzo and Caicedo as a pivot with James/Gusto moving infield - especially since Palmer prefers to play from the right so there are overloads there already and less need for the RB to overlap.
 
Ish said:
Phew! Thank the lord that the mods banned Poch himself from the Caf a while back, or this thread would have been insufferable.

Anyway, he was under some real pressure but he’s turning it around a bit. Good on Poch. They still have a couple of players to come back as well - Lavia & Fofana who I’m mostly thinking of. And if James can stay fit (& not get sent off!), plus 1 or 2 key signings, they should be a top 4 contender next season.
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Missed that. Was he banned for his wumming or something else?

He usually seemed in good spirits considering all the shit he got (and deserved).
 
Vidyoyo said:
Missed that. Was he banned for his usual wumming or something else?

He usually seemed in good spirits considering all the shit he got (and deserved).
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He was MIA for a while when Chelsea were struggling down in 12th and then suddenly reappeared to troll some more the night Chelsea beat United 4-3. The ban hammer came down not long after that.
 
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TheMagicFoolBus said:
The problem isn't Enzo, the problem is that when he's played Gallagher has been shoehorned into that 10 role. And because Gallagher isn't a great player in the final 3rd, Enzo was constantly called on to push up and that left the midfield exposed.

An ideal version of Chelsea probably has Colwill as the left back (but actually LCB in a back 3 in possession), Enzo and Caicedo as a pivot with James/Gusto moving infield - especially since Palmer prefers to play from the right so there are overloads there already and less need for the RB to overlap.
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I actually want to see a midfield 3 with Enzo Lavia and Caicedo at some point. On paper, it looks so enticing.
 
Vidyoyo said:
Missed that. Was he banned for his wumming or something else?

He usually seemed in good spirits considering all the shit he got (and deserved).
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Just the usual wumming and the mods finally gave up.

He was encouraged and egged on (he is still getting tagged in Chelsea threads despite being banned months ago) by many people though.
 
FootballHQ said:
If he wasn't on an 8 year deal I think you'd already be offering him to La Liga and Serie A teams.

There's certainly a better balance to Chelsea now in final third with the pivot of Gallagher-Caciedo then Palmer in a floating 10 position with two quick wide players either side.

That's the template to keep for next season as Jackson looks better coming off the left aswell.
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Agree with you, I do think we can try a different midfield shape to fit Enzo in though. If Poch wants to play 4231 with similar personnel, I don't think it's worked with Enzo. Maybe 433, or some other variation could though, he should experiment in pre season to see.

I definitely also think we need to kill 5 at the back, permanently, yes we won a CL with it and yes Conte won a league with it... Players generally aren't adapted to play it as all the top teams play 4 atb, you need specialised WB and if they're injured, we're then screwed. You sacrifice an attacking player for a defensive one. Nearly everyone

For me, we need to build with 4, either in 4321 as now, but I'd also like to see us try 433, and I think Enzo could fit better in the latter system, more so if we have Lavia and others fit, there will be other options in how we can play we didn't have before.
 
Vidyoyo said:
Missed that. Was he banned for his wumming or something else?

He usually seemed in good spirits considering all the shit he got (and deserved).
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I missed it as well - when exactly it happened but i read it after the fact in this thread. It was definitely for wumming (whenever Poch was doing well) and disappearing when he wasn't. Think around the time they beat us 4-3...which makes sense. :lol:
 
Mb194dc said:
Enzo getting injured has shown our midfield works much better with Caicedo and Gallagher. Unless we switch to a 3, he'll surely be benched.
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It's a bit more nuanced than that and you don't bench a talent like Enzo.

Our form picked up while Enzo was playing and getting worse. At the turn of the year I knew something was wrong when I saw him busting a gut and his face almost went bright red.

Both Enzo and Caicedo are not great at covering space. So add that to Poch's bizarre decision for quite some time to have the fullbacks high and wide (compounded by injuries)... well problems were inevitable.

You can play then both but then the left flank needs to be hard working and attentive. So Chilwell and Mudryk would be horrendous but Cucurella and Sterling would work particularly if Cucu's inverted.
 
UsualSuspect said:
It's a bit more nuanced than that and you don't bench a talent like Enzo.

Our form picked up while Enzo was playing and getting worse. At the turn of the year I knew something was wrong when I saw him busting a gut and his face almost went bright red.

Both Enzo and Caicedo are not great at covering space. So add that to Poch's bizarre decision for quite some time to have the fullbacks high and wide (compounded by injuries)... well problems were inevitable.

You can play then both but then the left flank needs to be hard working and attentive. So Chilwell and Mudryk would be horrendous but Cucurella and Sterling would work particularly if Cucu's inverted.
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I don't follow many chelsea games. Does Mudryk cement the left wing starting spot now? Did he play better lately? I still refuse to believe he is a bad player simply because Arteta and Edu were interested in paying top dollars for his service.
 
Ish said:
I missed it as well - when exactly it happened but i read it after the fact in this thread. It was definitely for wumming (whenever Poch was doing well) and disappearing when he wasn't. Think around the time they beat us 4-3...which makes sense. :lol:
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Of course it makes sense to gloat about Chelsea’s revival after they’ve beaten United… the team he actually supposedly supports.
 
ThierryHenry14 said:
I don't follow many chelsea games. Does Mudryk cement the left wing starting spot now? Did he play better lately? I still refuse to believe he is a bad player simply because Arteta and Edu were interested in paying top dollars for his service.
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Yes and yes but we've had quite a few injuries in the forward/wing position (Sterling, Nkunku, Chukwuemeka) who, if they were fit might mean a totally different looking foward line.
 
ThierryHenry14 said:
I don't follow many chelsea games. Does Mudryk cement the left wing starting spot now? Did he play better lately? I still refuse to believe he is a bad player simply because Arteta and Edu were interested in paying top dollars for his service.
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Yes - and by having Cucurella invert, it basically means Mudryk will always be 1v1 and have license to drop deeper into midfield to draw defenders forward and leave space behind them. Having him be more isolated is pretty clearly the best use for him at the moment.
 
Ish said:
:lol: just imagine....we really had Poch on here & he got booted!
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I use to think these theories were far fetched but after Michael Beale got caught out having a burner account on twitter I genuinely wouldn't rule it out now :lol:
 
TheMagicFoolBus said:
The problem isn't Enzo, the problem is that when he's played Gallagher has been shoehorned into that 10 role. And because Gallagher isn't a great player in the final 3rd, Enzo was constantly called on to push up and that left the midfield exposed.

An ideal version of Chelsea probably has Colwill as the left back (but actually LCB in a back 3 in possession), Enzo and Caicedo as a pivot with James/Gusto moving infield - especially since Palmer prefers to play from the right so there are overloads there already and less need for the RB to overlap.
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Yes that is possible I guess from how you've been playing recently. I assume Lavia is also primed to take over from Gallagher if he gets a good pre season and stays fit?
 
FootballHQ said:
Yes that is possible I guess from how you've been playing recently. I assume Lavia is also primed to take over from Gallagher if he gets a good pre season and stays fit?
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As @WeePat has pointed out - Lavia is a different profile of midfielder; he's the only true deep-lying destroyer we have currently. If he's back and fit it'd actually be Caicedo taking over for Gallagher as the free high-pressing machine.
 
6th place in the end. Not great, but could definitely have been a lot worse given how the season was going a few months ago. We end the season with a 5 game winning streak.
 
WeePat said:
6th place in the end. Not great, but could definitely have been a lot worse given how the season was going a few months ago. We end the season with a 5 game winning streak.
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Do you think Poch will be sacked now? In my opinion he has done really well over the last 6 months to get you up to where you are after a slow start and should be given another season.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
Do you think Poch will be sacked now? In my opinion he has done really well over the last 6 months to get you up to where you are after a slow start and should be given another season.
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I don’t think they’ll sack him.
 
I do see a scenario (which I wouldn’t want) where Pochettino tries to capitalize on the end of season form to leverage more input into things like transfers, it doesnt go well, gets handled too publicly or something, and he decides himself to leave. That would be the only thing I could potentially see happening.

Peoples perception of players changes SO fast. The knock against Enzo last season seemed to be he was a high energy guy, kind of like a Gallagher, but with more class on the ball, but not a true DM, and not what we needed.

He tries to play through hernias and now he’s the guy that can’t cover any ground.

I would have preferred them recalling Santos or Casadei sooner and not letting Enzo struggle through all that…but they were pretty stretched all year up until recently, so I don’t know if that was an option (assuming it didn’t cause further damage).

I DO agree that Caicedo + Lavia would be the more likely long term pairing. But if we are playing in Europe and multiple competitions …. I look forward to seeing a healthy Enzo back, and we will need him next year.
 
Saved his job unless he decides to walk out given the strange press conferences in last few weeks.
 
Should stay for sure. Give him a real top striker that pushes Nico Jackson to a squad role where he’d be awesome and give him a beast of a CB to replace Thiago Silva and we’ll be in business next season. We’re pretty well sorted in most areas of the pitch but missing a lethal, clinical finisher and a dominant CB to play alongside Colwill next season.
 
Sneaking into 6th was quite impressive and I'd be surprised in they weren't close on top 4 in terms of xG xPts etc... Think they should give him one more season. This young team will be a year wiser and he could do well.
 
Has done well in his first season really. Would be crazy to let him go.
 
I don't think he is the manager to have them contending for the league but they're a few seasons away from that even in the best case scenario anyway.

Their goal for next season should probably be making top four while juggling European play and keeping Poch seems to give you a reasonable shot at that.

A lot really depends on which alternative managers are available and how much you rate them. If you're going to ditch Poch, it should be for a manager you believe is really special and gives the club a higher ceiling. I don't personally see that guy among the available managers but who knows what Boehly thinks.
 
tentan said:
Has done well in his first season really. Would be crazy to let him go.
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I'd describe it as good enough. Promising 2nd part of the season and 5 wins in a row to finish the season which could be nice momentum for next season.
 
One of the clubs that probably wish the season didn't end! Time to make that momentum count though going into next season. Emery and Villa managed it, so it's a test for Poch to make sure he does too.
 
I'm worried about Chelsea. What I've seen over the last couple of months is a team that is starting to really control games in a way that only Arsenal and City are doing. If they strengthen this summer, and they can keep the momentum going, then I think they'll be a strong team next season. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they were the next club not named 'Man City' to win the league again in a couple of years or so.
 
BorisManUtd said:
I'd describe it as good enough. Promising 2nd part of the season and 5 wins in a row to finish the season which could be nice momentum for next season.
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Most people had us 5th/6th in the prediction thread, so we’ve ended up in line with the overall consensus at the start of the season. I would not say it’s even been a good enough season. We were floundering in 10th-12th place for 32 out of 38 games and then did a late surge up the table in the last 6 games.

I’d say we’ve avoided a complete disaster and built up some momentum and good vibes going into the summer. That’s below even the lowest expectations I had but it’s at least not a bottom half finish with half the team looking disinterested with yet another summer of big changes and turmoil.
 
WeePat said:
Most people had us 5th/6th in the prediction thread, so we’ve ended up in line with the overall consensus at the start of the season. I would not say it’s even been a good enough season. We were floundering in 10th-12th place for 32 out of 38 games and then did a late surge up the table in the last 6 games.

I’d say we’ve avoided a complete disaster and built up some momentum and good vibes going into the summer. That’s below even the lowest expectations I had but it’s at least not a bottom half finish with half the team looking disinterested with yet another summer of big changes and turmoil.
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Well good enough in the end as you finished 6th. Think Poch will make another step next year and finish in top 4.
 
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