Mauricio Pochettino has had a rollercoaster first season as Chelsea boss. The Argentinian coach was tasked with overseeing the Blues’ re-build, focused on bringing in bright stars leading to a £400 million outlay last summer.
Despite the lavish spending, it hasn’t been plain sailing for Pochettino or Chelsea in the 2023/24 season. The West Londoners have shown glimpses of quality and togetherness through EFL Cup final and FA Cup semi-final runs and a late push for European qualification in the Premier League.
However, losses to the likes of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Everton, and Wolves have hindered what could have been a great campaign.
Pochettino’s side has also put together a strong winning run late in the season, leaving them with plenty of reasons to be confident heading into next season. Those who know how to bet on soccer are aware that the end of season form should be studied so there could be plenty of tips for Chelsea to make at least the top 4 next season. Chelsea has won four consecutive matches and looks well placed to hold sixth position and qualify for the Europa Conference League next season.
But, to elevate the Blues back to the top four, Poch must address these key areas ahead of 2024/25.
Defensive Improvements
Chelsea has the second-worst Premier League defensive record of teams placed 10th or above. In 37 matches, the Blues have conceded 62 goals this season.
Arguably, Pochettino has been unlucky with injuries. Key defenders Reece James and Ben Chillwell missed large spells of the season through injury. In addition, centre-back Wesley Fofana has not featured at all this season.
As a result, Chelsea largely relied on unproven partnerships. Pochettino placed his faith in Axel Disasi, Benoît Badiashile and 39-year-old Thiago Silva as the central defenders.
Disasi and Badiashile were two summer signings in 2023 and had unproven experience in the Premier League before this season. Silva’s experience meanwhile, while useful, is not a long-term solution to contend with the Blues’ defensive issues.
Silva announced that he will depart Chelsea at the end of this season, leaving Disasi and Badiashile as the likely centre-back duo for next season. Moreover, Fofana is expected to return in pre-season and could boost Pohcettino’s central defensive options with genuine Premier League experience.
However, to fill the void and complement the existing centre-backs, Chelsea will potentially need to dip into the transfer market. Ultimately, the Blues need a proven central defender, who is a capable leader in defence to replace Silva.
Raphael Varane, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season is one player who has been linked with Chelsea. Yet Pochettino may be hindered by financial constraints, considering the club spent over £400 million on transfers last summer.
Heart of the Midfield
Another area Pohcettino might look to improve is his central midfield position. The Blues have a wealth of young attacking players with potential. However, this depth isn’t complemented by a robust midfield.
In addition, Chelsea have conceded the seventh most goals from open play this season (42), with a further four goals coming from counter-attacks. As a result, the West London outfit could improve these stats with an experienced ball-winning defensive midfielder.
The deeper-lying pair of Enzo Fernandez and Moisés Caicedo have had solid, if uninspiring, seasons at Stamford Bridge. But the pair have lacked genuine competition to excel in their performance. Other than this duo, Pohcettino’s only other viable options in central midfield are Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu or Cesare Casadei, who have made a combined 12 Premier League starts in the 2023/24 season.
To improve the deeper midfield areas, Pochettino could either focus on improving Chalobah or Ugochukwu, who have both had injury-disrupted seasons. Alternatively, the Argentinian coach might have to look at bringing in a quality challenger for Fernandez and Caicedo.
Partner for Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has been Chelsea’s standout player in the 2023/24 campaign. The former Man City forward leads the Blues’ charts for goals (22) and assists (10), contributing to nearly a third of Chelsea’s 75 Premier League goals scored.
Palmer has led the line superbly for Chelsea and has shown the ability to finish and create from deeper areas. However, the pressure on the Blues’ key attacker has rarely been eased by his teammates.
Nicolas Jackson has endured a patchy first season in English football. The Senegalese summer signing has shown flashes of brilliance and notched a respectable 14 goals in his maiden Premier League campaign.
However, Jackson has somewhat underachieved considering he has the fifth-highest individual expected goals (19.51) in the Premier League this season. The 22-year-old has also outperformed Palmer in the individual XG charts, suggesting that he has been wasteful with chances.
However, if Pochettino can build Jackson’s confidence to finish effectively and ruthlessly, Chelsea’s frontline could be a serious force next season.
Moreover, Pochettino is also likely to have a fit Christopher Nkunku ready for next season. The former RB Leipzig attacker has made just two starts this season due to injury, but he has scored three goals for the Blues.
