When Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reflects on his side’s campaign at the end of the season, he may look back at November as the month their fortunes started to turn. There have been lots of positives to take out of November so far, with the highlights being their 4-1 victory over Tottenham in North London.
Here is a look at how this November is a month that should give Pochettino and Chelsea fans a lot to be excited about for the rest of the season.
Derby Success At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
After losing 2-0 at home to Brentford, Chelsea’s trip to Tottenham was an important moment in the Premier League. The Blues were able to run away as 4-1 winners, putting some distance between themselves and the bottom three, meaning they are out 66-1 in the relegation betting, and much closer to the top end of the table now.
Chelsea scored four goals in the game but the scoreline could have been far wider in favour of the Blues, as VAR ruled out two goals. What was most pleasing in this game was that Pochettino’s summer signings all looked settled and made an impact.
It was a successful return to Spurs for Mauricio Pochettino 🔵
Hear what both managers had to say after a Premier League classic ➡ https://t.co/pXZhuNUIsQ pic.twitter.com/U0OFXFybMj
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 7, 2023
The Blues inflicted Spurs’ first league defeat of the season, and it ended up being a happy evening for Pochettino on his return to his former club.
Going Toe-To-Toe with Defending Champions
In what was one of the most entertaining Premier League matches this season, Chelsea drew 4-4 with defending champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. That was a huge result, as Chelsea matched the league leaders in every area of the pitch.
Making history. 👏
Thiago Silva becomes Chelsea’s oldest scorer with his fine header today! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7isarMTb0u
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 12, 2023
The Blues trailed three times in that match, but they showed great resolve to keep fighting to get on level terms. A 95th minute penalty for the hosts ensured they picked up a valuable point against Pep Guardiola’s side.
If Chelsea can keep up the same intensity as they did against Manchester City, they should continue picking up positive results and start moving up the table to towards the top-four. It also showed how dangerous the Blues can be in front of goal as it was the second consecutive game that they had scored four goals.
EFL Cup Victory Over Blackburn
Although the Premier League is the priority this season, Chelsea fans would love to be celebrating some silverware at the end of the campaign. The Blues took a step towards the next round of the EFL Cup thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Championships side Blackburn Rovers.
Pochettino made changes to his starting XI for this game. It was a great chance for some of the fringe players in his squad to get some minutes and impress their manager, and they did that around some of the senior members of the squad.
Chelsea will now face Newcastle in the quarter-final of the competition. They last lifted this trophy in 2015 and Pochettino will be hoping he can get his hands on it following the final in February. The challenge for Chelsea going forward is to carry their momentum into December and for the rest of the season.
