da apostebet： The Blues have become a laughing stock over the past 12 months after wasting more than £1 billion on under-performing players
da roleta： Chelsea fans' poverty-chanting began just over a minute after kick-off in Sunday's Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. Despite the fact that many parts of England are blighted by financial inequality, including London, regular visitors to Liverpool still find it funny to mock a city with a long and painful history of socio-economic problems. So, to hear Chelsea supporters singing songs about starvation and unemployment wasn't in the least bit surprising – or amusing. What followed, though, was legitimately hilarious.
Firstly, Sean Dyche's Everton made a mockery of Mauricio Pochettino and his expensively-assembled squad, triumphing 2-0 to move themselves away from the relegation zone – and draw Chelsea ever closer to it.
Secondly, Pochettino suggested in his post-match press conference that his employers might have to spend even more money in the January transfer window to salvage this shambles of a season. The Blues boss may have managed to keep a straight face in front of the press – suggesting he was deadly serious about the perceived lack of quality available to him – but neutrals all across the country couldn't help but raise a smile.
Chelsea have become a laughing stock, the source of inspiration for a million memes, the gif that keeps on giving.
GettyHistorically bad Premier League team
After the constant chaos of the 2022-23 campaign, this season was meant to be different. Mauricio Pochettino was confirmed as coach on May 29 and a further £400m ($500m) was spent on players, taking the total outlay since a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly took control of the club in the summer of 2022 to more than £1 billion ($1.25bn).
The thing is, though, no progress has been made under Pochettino. He took over a team that finished 12th in the Premier League last season – and that's exactly where they're sitting right now, having taken just 19 points from 16 games under the Argentine.
They've also accrued just 39 in total in 2023 – the joint-worst tally for an ever-present Premier League side across a single calendar year. Boehly may have overseen the biggest spending spree of all time, but the net result is a historically bad football team.
AdvertisementGettyMore losses than wins
In fairness, there have been some encouraging displays under Pochettino, most notably against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City – though all three games were at home and they failed to win any of them, primarily due to Chelsea's costly lapses of concentration at the back, and woeful finishing up front.
The 51-year-old can't be held accountable for stupid mistakes or shocking misses (even it wasn't a huge surprise to hear reports of unrest among the forwards over a perceived lack of tactical instruction). However, every manager is ultimately judged by results and, so far this season, the Blues have lost more league games (seven) than they've won (five), and conceded as many goals as they've scored (26).
GettyNo excuses but…
Pochettino has attempted to make excuses for Chelsea's rotten results (while simultaneously and very humorously insisting he's not trying to make excuses for Chelsea's rotten results) by pointing to a lengthy injury list and claiming that he needs time to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Neither argument holds any weight. On November 25, Chelsea were routed 4-1 by a Newcastle side that has been decimated by injuries this season – and drained by a brave bid to survive the Champions League's 'Group of Death'. Chelsea, let us not forget, aren't even competing in any European competition this season.
Fatigue simply cannot be put forward as a factor in Chelsea's inconsistent displays – and yet Pochettino ludicrously insinuated an extra day's rest had been decisive in last week's abject 2-1 loss to Manchester United, another team fighting for their lives in the Champions League.
Also, when it comes to the pleas for patience, Pochettino knew what he was getting into. He was well aware that the pressure would be on right from the very first game to show signs of meaningful improvement with a collection of multi-million pound signings.
It's not like he hasn't been in this kind of situation before. Despite being burned at Paris Saint-Germain (one of Chelsea's few rivals for the title of the worst transfer-market operators in world football), he still decided to take the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge, so sympathy is thin on the ground.
Getty ImagesEmbarrassed by Emery and Postecoglou
It's also worth pointing out that while Chelsea have several players sidelined, very, very few of them are potential game-changers. Christopher Nkunku should certainly add something to the abysmal attack (though he's not the world-class No.9 that Boehly has inexplicably neglected to sign in three consecutive transfer windows), Ben Chilwell is a decent wing-back and Reece James is world-class on his day. But even then, injuries happen to every side, and if Pochettino thought he could rely on the latter to stay fit for more than a couple of months, that's on him.
At the end of the day, it's the depth of the squad that's been affected, not the strength of the starting line-up, and other clubs are coping far, far better and with far fewer resources.
Both Unai Emery and Ange Postecoglou have lost key men to long-term injuries this term – but Aston Villa and Tottenham are not only getting results, they're doing so while playing a thrilling brand of football with smaller squads than Chelsea's – and assembled at a fraction of the cost.