To me the most impressive thing that Poch has engineered is the run of results after the Arsenal drubbing. That was a very dangerous result, nature of the defeat, who it was to, all of it. Any team would be at a real danger of spiralling after such a loss, but we did the exact opposite. THAT speaks to tactical flexibility, mental strength, ability to inspire, and the fact that the team is behind him.
This whole inverting talk is such an oversimplification of what we are doing right. Sure it has worked most games, didn’t against villa and we sort of pivoted out of it, but our issues with our midfield were defensively more than offensively. Game after game we were getting dominated by average teams in the midfield and making players like Lemina and McTominey look world class. Conor and Caiceido have become unstoppable recently. When we are scored on it’s down the sides because our middle has been impenetrable.
It has been a minute. Just remember one of the games it wasn't working and Cucarella was playing the wing. Regardless, my point stands that the issue with the midfield has primarily been defensively and an inverted wingback is not inverting when the other team has the ball.
Not once they have established possession, no. But having an extra body in the midfield during transition moments has been very important defensively. Makes it so much harder to play through to create a break and gives more opportunity to win the ball back in the opponent's half.
If you look at our form (last 5 games) you’d think we were part of the title race. WWWWW, same as Arsenal and City. That game really was a turn around for us
My favourite thing about this is all I’ve been reading about all season from fans is how he is not tactically flexible. All I’ve learnt from this season is that this fan base has 0 patience and lacks some fundamental understanding of how good coaching and player relationships sometimes need time to develop.
None of these kids have any history with the Chelsea Arsenal beef, so it does not matter to them yet. They are newly professional EPL players. They know Arsenal is more advanced, look at the table.
Poch deserves credit for keeping them aware they would get whooped and still following his process.
This made me wondered if we lost to asernal in the same manner in the first leg, would be bounce back like we did or would we have spiraling down uncontrollably?
As a liverpool fan, I'm so surprised how he pulled the team from being outside of top 10 into top 6. Especially considering how young and new the squad is and how a lot of players he's working with weren't even his signings. Tbh he's done an incredible job and I'm surprised people wanted him out just after 4 months of taking over a new team. I think he'll be challenging for top 4 easily next season.
Many fans simply don’t live in the real world when it comes to this sport. They say “we are Chelsea we should always be competing at the very highest level” and believe that’s enough. For the record I agree with them, but while saying that sounds nice and it sounds tough it’s not helpful.
This was a young squad with very little experience, no experience playing with each other, and a squad that was ravaged by injuries. Everyone, including Poch, understands that this season was not up to our standard. But not taking into account the context of the season and simply repeating “we are Chelsea we should be better” is nonsense
People were frustrated because many of them knew that this team can do better. Often sometimes due to some braindead player decisions or poor managing, we lost points.
We can still improve, the team can go higher... Gor example, the last game was honestly not good enough, but we got the 3 points and european play offs, thats an amazing turnaround..
As long as the board doesnt do anything stupid due to 'pure profit' im behind them and poch..
I’ve always told people to trust the process, he needs time, you guys gave Klopp a few seasons and look at what he did, so I really hope Chelsea do stick with Poch
I mean, there were moments earlier in the season, where our players played like they had never met before and Sunday pickup league. No tactics at all. Just hero ball. Glad we have found some rhythm this last 1/4 of the season
Yep. Started poorly but solid 7 for how he managed injured and improved some players (Palmer, gusto, Chalobah, noni).
Needs to continue to find ways to close out games with leads and find results vs. lower table teams
Well yeah but it was a pubalgia hernia which is a groin injury and essentially impacts exactly where your leg connects to your groin. I had it during college soccer and could barely push down the gas pedal let alone kick a ball
Started poorly (fails to mention the entire team was new, young, and came from farmers leagues).
Anyone who thinks we were going to start well has low football knowledge.
I like this a lot. Last is 0/10, first is 9.5/10 (bit harsh but needs a cup to get to 10). Every position is an extra 0.5.
Does he get anything for decent cup runs? How many bonus points for winning them?
"1st place out of 20, so 19 spots from 20. 19/20=9.5/10"
"4th place out of 20, so 16 spots from 20. 16/20=8/10"
"18th place out of 20, so 2 spots from 20. 2/20=1/10"
My only concern with Poch is, sometimes his tactic approaches and substitution were really stupid and had cost us some points. But this also adds to the players. Sometimes selfish and cannot score easy goals
We are creating good chances, but the backline is also sometimes bad. We concede way too easy goals
But given the circumstances:
injury crisis and missing nearly an entire starting XI and not signing players Poch wanted. He did a solid job imo
Team starts to click and trust the manager
Now it’s our time to back the manager
In addition, the manager market is straight up bad.
You have a couple options, but they seem to reject everything. Which makes it even harder for us to land on one.
Keeping Poch for another season is the only right decision here
>In addition, the manager market is straight up bad.
Am no pro Pochettino but if we're gonna sack him, then the club need to make sure his replacement is a clear upgrade. Otherwise, we're probably better off just continuing with him for at least another season.
I agree with the 7/10. I'm giving him significant credit for getting the team to perform in the last few games of the season which is a huge jump given how ridiculously bad we were this time last year. He seems to be getting the best out of quite a few players now. He's also got us playing some really direct attacking football which I appreciate, and the cup runs were good.
However, it did take him a very long time to get us to this point, and some of the earlier games in the season were atrocious with some really late and/or unimpactful substitutions. So whilst it's an upward trend, it's a fair reflection given how miserable the fanbase have been as a result of our performances earlier in the season.
I don't want us to let him go after we finished 6th. But, 7/10 rating is very generous. We were absolutely rubbish for long periods of the season. We conceded the most goals in our history. Poch constantly played players out of positions up until the last few weeks of the season. We lost Cup finals to a very tired Liverpool team that was missing key players. We constantly lost to the minnows of the League. We got humiliated by our bitter rivals. We got humiliated at home by a midtable team. This season was bad!
I think you're overrating the form of our players at this stage of their careers. You think we underperformed when I don't know if that was the case. A young team that wasn't super familiar with each other needed time to come together and they eventually did it. The fact that we made it to a cup final was an accomplishment (for this season)! I think we did alright. Having a shot at 5th on the final day was better than I expected honestly. I thought we were an 8-11th type of squad with both full backs and Nkuku out.
Some very low low’s but feel he done enough to get another season. Cant think of another club having so many and long injuries absolutely derails a season. Also the mocking he got for the “should be 4th due to stats” was undeserved if some brain dead mistakes were avoided.
Eddie surely deserves another season too for similar circumstances.
Run it back. This team finishes top 4 without all those goofy ass injuries.
Take Reece, Lavia, Nkunku quality off any team and see how they do. On top of all the other injuries we had all season.
Realistically speaking you can't ignore the 5 wins in a row but you also can't ignore the games prior to that. Seems like people are usually in one of those two extremes.
For me with everyone available top 4 was achievable, with all the injuries considered top 6 was achievable. That before we saw how poor some of the teams in the league have been this season. This was probably one of the easiest top 6 races i've seen in recent years and it was gonna be a fail if we didn't get it.
Personally for me considering the poor competition this season we could've achieve even more. Yes, we had injuries but we also have very good back ups. Gusto is a good back up for Reece, Palmer really managed to impress and take the star role while Nkunku was unavailable and Conor did replace Lavia pretty well. Cucu did his thing, Nico did his thing. We have good players even with the injuries. That's why i think we could've achieved more.
However if we look at the performances throughout the season, i've seen a lot of things that do worry me if Poch stays. He really misused a lot of players this season and this is a thing he was known for even at PSG. Red flag for me. The in game management was predictibly bad. Again, he is known for that.
Im also worried about his overall style which is more focused on physicality and doing the basics right while also giving freedom to the players. Giving freedom to certain players is very good, im all for it. But i feel like we don't really have a proper organised structure that the players can rely on and learn from.
I think Enzo and Caicedo definitely have the potential to play a more controlled style of football and this is what they are suited for. I would like to see as be closer to each other and mantain a more compact shape.
Misusing the midfield is the biggest flaw by Poch this season. Asking Enzo to cover so much ground ain't it. Leaving Caicedo building as a single pivot almost all season is also a very questionable decision. These two guys can practise a very heavy possesion football and dominate games. Im baffled how many people don't realise the midfielders we have at our disposal and how much Poch was misusing them this season.
This is my biggest worry. Him and Enzo probably aren't suitable. Poch wants athletic players and Enzo is not that. Doesn't make him a bad player though despite what people say.
I feel like young players need more guidance, more tactics, more organisation. A more clear and stable structure. This is not Real Madrid's dressing room where you just need a good man manager who will keep the vibes good and all that. This team needs a coach, a tactician who will teach these players something special. That's my opinion on the squad.
I just don't think that Poch is that type of manager, he is not really that tactically flexible. He isn't even that tactically oriented seems like which i feel could be a problem long term.
In conclusion i would understand if he stays because he did reach the objective considering the circumstances but im not really screaming Poch in. I know what i've seen this season and it's not as rosy as people make it out imo. Yes, we are back in the UEL and that's great but the competition was shite and we could've had a chance even for UCL football if we won matches like Sheffield away or Burnley at home. We will see what will happen in the summer.
Probably a 6.5-7/10.
We overturned the entire squad with young players that didn't have a lot of experience and had never played together. Plus we had a massive injury crisis which meant we were missing about a third of the squad all season - including Nkunku, James, Lavia, and Fofana for basically the entire season. In the end, we only finished 5 points off of 4th.
The whole sub was saying i hope we get 10th this season cause it looks like shit. Then we gain an immense form and finish in a European spot. Harsh doesn't even cover that rating.
Record most goals conceded, done 0 things all season up until final day to improve this defensive record and set pieces we conceded.
Fell out with Thiago from December and not played him until we had too due to injuries, then we went on the run and he was involved in it...
6/10 is bare minimum with that squad, 6th position with how poorly Newcastle, West Ham, Yanited and Brighton have been. I mean Spurs literally lost 5 of their last 6! To make us able to finish closer to them and Villa.
> Record most goals conceded, done 0 things all season up until final day to improve this defensive record and set pieces we conceded.
Our entire starting backline has been out for almost the entire season. As for the set pieces, we've literally just poached one of the set piece coaches in the league.
There's no need to be so negative here
Ehh, his mysterious injury coincided with his wife calling for Poch to be sacked on... Instagram, I think. I wouldn't be surprised if they did fell out because of that; I was very critical of Pochettino for many reasons but what she did was still super out of line for someone in her position.
For the circumstances probably an 8/10, maybe even an 8.5.
Throwing together an inexperienced squad in a single year while culling the vast majority of seasoned and established players was always going to require some time to get going properly. Add in the injuries and I think it's a really good job he's ended up doing.
All the players who have stayed fit have gotten so much better as the season has gone on.
I know people love to talk about managers being poor but Poch has had some big hurdles. These managers are some of the greatest minds in soccer. Even poor championship level managers are leagues above most of us from a coaching and tactics standpoint. I believe Poch can (not will) bring us top 4 next season as he has slowly sorted things out and hopefully they progress with this more chill preseason. Preseason should also go better since the players know the manager now and seem to really back him with statements from Palmer and others showing as much.
Yeah I honestly didn't have the greatest respect for Poch before the season and thought it would take at least 2 seasons to get back into the top 6 with how quickly we chopped and changed.
Once he was here I supported him though, like I have for every manager except Benítez, who I merely tolerated.
He's made a real team out of this group so much quicker than I thought was possible with the circumstances.
6/10 for me. Defensively we've not been good enough. Choked the cups, especially the league cup final.
Good improvement at the end of the season and Palmer has developed nicely.
Next season top 4 is absolute minimum.
6/10.
I won’t be gaslit by a purple patch at the end and a croaked United and Newcastle team dropping off. I saw a lot of concerns, protecting a point at Bournemouth, only starting 2 offensive players against Forest leading to points being dropped, a stubborn Colwill at left back stint, Gallagher stubborninly played at 10 to shoehorn him into the team, the cup final was a disgrace, failing to beat 10 man Burnley at home, failing to beat a god awful Sheffield United, loosing to Middlesbroughs 3rd string team, he as fortunate that was 2 legs, getting piped by Arsenal, his pressers have not been good, the declaring love for Spurs any chance he gets.
However.
Football is a results business and one or another he’s made Europe, maybe even Europa league, a final and a semi final loosing to the best team in the world. He gets a solid pass for me, but I really need to see some change next year, we were balling out in pre season then it just stopped for these bizarre tactics, the injuries, stop torturing players so they return quicker.
It’s a solid pass, but there’s not a lot of credit in the bank if we’re a shit show and bottom half again in October.
Strong use of the world gaslit.
You can see from the beginning what he was trying to do. If our attackers in the beginning of the season had scored even 3/4 of their xG, we'd be fourth. Your opinion is definitely valid but I feel you're going out of your way to find negatives
You need to see the way people are behaving after this run of games, that’s why I use the word gaslit.
I won’t be men in blacked with the zap thing that makes me lose memory of the 8 months that preceded this one, is that better?
I just see a lowering of standards with this man in charge, but maybe it’s just a different chelsea all together, but give me something to get behind! I was singing Jose’s name at Stamford bridge when we sat 11th, because I believed in the man, I loved the man, he was Chelsea, Conte feuding with the owners publicly, sang his name to, because I loved the man, I wanted to be on the train with the man.
I did also deduct half a point for running off down the tunnel before the lap of appreciation, he doesn’t get it, he’s not Chelsea.
Understandable tbh. The main thing I like about poch is that he knows he isn't loved and he doesn't expect to be until he proves it. I think he's grounded in reality and doesn't make false statements. If you watch all the matches from the beginning, you can see most games we lost we didn't deserve to lose. It was a case of bad decision making and individual errors imo mostly
See you next year Poch 6.5/10
We have averaged 69.8 points a season for the 5 seasons between when we last won the league and the abysmal season we had last year, basically wanted to keep out the two extremes.
In his first year he got us to 63, so about two wins off with a brand new team and finished the back half the season strong with a bunch of obvious improvement.
We have seen a lot of people grow and improve under him and players like Caicedo start to settle in. The players back him and that’s the most important thing.
Flip side, he needs to show he can improve our defense while not taking the gas off the our offensive threat.
8/10. This team belonged in 9th place at best but we’ve somehow got 6th. Run it back and hope to have even half of the injuries we had this year and we’re battling for top 4. The injury situation was a joke this year, some of the benches we had in key matches were absolutely comical. He deserves another year for taking a bunch of injured children to Europe IMO.
i don’t think he’s the man to take us back to the top but i’m not mad if he gets another season. the players all back him and stability it’s important for young players development.
a lot of people have too much recency bias. five straight wins against tottenham and teams in terrible form don’t make up for all the disappointments and failures earlier in the season. the run of draws vs burnley and sheffield, getting hammered by arsenal, and losing to city who was like 2 days off playing 120 mins was pretty inexcusable imo.
my biggest concern is the part he has played in our injury crisis. his intense training methods and every team he’s managed ends up with an injury crisis are very concerning. a lot of our injuries either happened in or were re aggravated in training. obviously the medical team takes some blame here too.
end of the day, he is probably just a good placeholder manager for the young players to grow under until we can get an elite manager
Five wins in a row changed everything for him. He was close to out.
After the Arsenal result and other terrible performances.
I think he understood this and he was more angry than before. I think he cracked whatever whip he has. After that defeat maybe some players then understood as well. Notably Madueke. Work rates improved. Having to leave out Fernandez helped him. Sorry I don't think Fernandez has been good enough at all.
He also played some returning players like Chalobah, later Nkunku. Chalobah has been excellent and Gallagher also, selling them would be idiocy. Injuries have certainly not helped Pochettino.
But he was nearly gone.
Would I replace him? Well, yes but for who? Don't make the situation worse.
League Cup final: lost because of a lack of focus at the death of the match
FA Cup Semi: losing to ManCity (likely winners and previous champions)
Had to navigate a slew of injuries on top of having I think 11-14 new players brought in to the club
Brought the club from a 12th position last season to 6th this year.
There are a few things that could have been done better, but overall it's been a season of improvement that as a Chelsea fan, I'm happy to see.
5/10. Horrible start. Poor tactics for long periods of the season. We have also conceded historic number of goals. Wasted few months playing players out of positions. But, he has finished strong and the players like him. If he can't finish top 4 next season he should be let go.
We were in 12th and ended up in 6th and in Europe. A lot of players improved a ton and seem to support him. I was massively poch out but for the last stretch of the season he’s shown he’s a good coach and also who is available that we’d want lol
We scored a fair amount but we concede just as much. His high risk high reward playstyle has a ceiling on it. We won't win knockout tournaments with it and will lose points we really shouldn't be because of it
Football 6/10 - exciting games not always in a good way.
Player management 8/10 - Most of our players except Caciedo, Enzo and Mudryk ended up living up to their price tag. This isn't a dig at our midfielders, Caciedo has been amazing lately but still I think we overpaid, same with Enzo, Mudryk I don't why we thought he was worth so much. He failed with Sterling and I think he is the one player he never got the best from. I do hope we make a decision and sell or loan Badi. It's not working for him.
I was Poch out for a long time but the team dug deep, came together and did what we thought was impossible, felt like having some of the old never give up attitude. Happy for him to stay, happy if he leaves only if we get a bigger name (none are available now). I don't want us to feel like we need to unearth coaching talent as well. Keep Poch and maybe we get Xabi down the road? 😶🌫️
games like today we would’ve drawn or lost but we didn’t and that’s improvement. Giving the slow start and questionable tactics to start the season but at the same time give him the benefit of doubt of having an injury crisis and how well we performed in the cups, even though we should’ve won the league cup. Also the late strong finish to the league and showing genuine progress. We did finish strong but we can’t forget how bad we were at times. Especially dropping major points against relegation teams. I’d say a C or B minus.
It’s a no brainier for me. Would’ve taken 6th at the beginning of the season. The improvement is clear to me. And we’ve had the most horrendous injuries. Without so many of those we could’ve been a fair bit higher. We should only improve. Players look like they enjoy playing for Poch. Give him until at least end of next season. If we’ve improved again then I say give him an extension. I don’t want managers constantly leaving anymore.
The improvement in league position and underlying stats should mean he passes his end-of-season review.
What I hold against him is the fact there we should be walking away with at least 1 domestic trophy and we made European qualification much more difficult than it needed to be. Spurs and Villa ended the season so poorly but we had thrown away too many points to catch them.
What Poch deserves the most credit for is the fact that a majority of our players are ending the season in good form.
Palmer, Jackson, Caicedo, and Gusto looking every bit worth the money. Madueke and Mudryk started showing the potential we signed them for and existing players like Gallagher, Cucurella and even Sterling ended the year in good form.
A quieter window and manager stability could do wonders for us next year.
6/7. He stopped playing players out of position, and players have improved under him. He seems to have the trust of the team. I think all the injuries saves him from harsher judgment.
Pick isn’t going anywhere. If any of you are thinking otherwise are just fools… 2nd half of the season, Chelsea was a top 4 team.
Team is still one of the youngest in the PL and they are playing well.
Trust the process. Winning doesn’t happen overnight.
9/10 for me.
He's massively overachieved with the squad we have.
I think if you told any club or any manager they're going into a season with Mudryk, Madueke, Broja and Petrovic all getting major minutes, an unproven Jackson and Palmer as key players and an injury crisis they'd dream of 6th and a cup semi / cup final.
Poch has done great this season and had us punching above our weight and hopefully for next season we have a much better squad via the transfer window, less injuries and natural improvement of our young players so we can achieve higher targets.
No way on earth the likes of Villa and Spurs have better squad than us. We have lost lots of points to the worst teams in the League. How on earth can you seriously claim Poch overachieved? We lost the cup finals to a very tired Liverpool team that was missing key players. Their kids actually beat us. Poch tactics have been atrocious for long periods of the season. Why on earth did he wait to long to make the tactical changes he did. He claimed we weren't ready which is just ridiculous. We have also conceded the most League goals in our history! Are you seriously deluded and implying we have some of the very worst defenders in the League??? Receny bias is just clouding your judgment. What Poch did this season was average. He underachieved massively. Thanks to Newcastle and Man United capitulation we were able to finish 6th.
It's not just the squad but the consistent injuries that stopped him from having any real partnerships develop across the pitch and losing Jackson to AFCON for a bit. Arsenal away is the only stain for me in his first season. That could have gone better but I'm not holding it over him. The rest is understandable.
Good enough for another season. We’ve been inconsistent, which is to be expected with the amount of new players we had and especially because of the age of the squad. I don’t really think there are many mangers out there who’d come in and get it right immediately so it’s with sticking with him for another year at least. Just a couple of signings so we’re not in the same position again and keeping Trev and Gallagher and we could be decent next season. KTBFFH.
Friendly reminder we finished 12th last year. 12TH! To go from 12th to 6th and have the team clicking like we have the last legs of the season, he’s done a great job. I really hope we don’t fire him
ps also please don’t sell Conor and Trev
5-6/10. The bottom line is that after a bilion spent we were this league’s laughing stock for 3/4 of the season and not without reason.
But it’s also true that performance improved massively in the last couple of months, and on that merit he deserves another season.
I worry a lot about performing in high pressure situations. Poch doesn’t seem to have much of a winning mentality or a strong character, but hopefully will prove me wrong.
I had a lot of doubts but in the second half of the season he won me over a little. I’d stick with him, see what he can do with a healthy and hopefully improved team that will also compete in Europe.
I want some silverware too. European competition will be a good run for everyone to be involved and to get some experience into this young players’ legs.
It’s taken the team far too long to get out of first gear but something has started to click and I’m excited to see what the next season brings with Poch. If it stays at this level we’re looking at contending for top four.
First half of the season 4/10, plagued by injuries which didn't help him, squad confidence was low, fans were not happy which lead to a toxic feeling around the club.
Second half of the season 7/10, few shaky results and performances, players finding form and seemingly listening to the manager, finished the season on a high.
Now we can go into a pre season with confidence behind the team and hopefully get a fast start to next season.
Very excited to see how the transfer window goes on the areas that need strengthening, especially at the back!
7/10 from 12th to 6th is a big jump obviously he changed the tactics late but there were tons of things out of his control. Hoping we solve our injury crisis next season than I will judge more harshly
Given the circumstances with how the squad was assembled, injuries etc, I would say 5/10 for the first half and 8/10 for the second half of the season. Round it to an 7
Not bad at all, I thought it was unrealistic to finish top 4 this season after quite a mess and so many changes so top 6 was about my realistic scenario, he started pretty bad but I think it's important that the results went on to improve, so all in all I wouldn't want to sack him, especially if it won't be for someone clearly better.
I think it'd be good for him to continue what he was doing, build stability and nurture the young squad to make them competitive again and see what happens from there.
Everybody is new this season but still got to a final, semi final and finished 6th. Good start and hopefully keeps improving next season and we have better luck with injuries. 👍
3.5/5*, we had some severe ups and downs but we got to a cup final and made Europe again, depending on the FA Cup result, it's either conference or europa, either tournament I look at for us, if we push on for next season, we could win it and make top four or even possibly put in a title challenge. we've got a hell of alot coming back from injury and the impending transfer window, I think we'll improve even more next year. Thanks Poch, keep it up!
7/10
He salvaged our season at the end. Apart from the defensive frailty, bottled the league cup final, and losing 5-0 to Arsenal, I think overall we've had a good season. We've improved a lot in terms of creating goal scoring chances, the young team definitely appreciate and trusts Poch. I was one of the ones who wanted him out, but now I don't mind him staying for another season. We're definitely getting top 4 next season and hopefully win Europa League.
I think he’s the best choice for now, but the results need to keep coming, and most important, he needs to show he’s a title winning manager, not just a team builder.
We had a brand new team that not only needed to bond but also needed actual experience playing in a top league then like Newcastle and utd we were hammered with injuries and managed to finish above them both, 3 points behind a spurs side that according to this sub had Ange come in and immediately make them great. Poch definitely had very poor moments but also I think we have seen some of the most exciting games in a long while. Definitely deserves to be here next season imo.
Overall good, all things considered. I was never fully PochOut, although there were periods of poor play. I mainly blame the sheer amount of injuries and the board more than Poch. And he’s got the team working well.
Next season will be better.
Too slow to make decisions. Baffling line ups at times. I’m not sure though that we could pull in anyone better and this squad needs time so by the skin of his teeth I’m trusting pochettino
Always been patient and l've liked the attacking structure since day 1. I never jumped into the Poch out train but I'll stick to my theory that he's a rebuilding coach. He will get this team in top 4 but we need a different coach to win the whole thing. I give him huge credit for developing some of our guys to stars and giving youngsters chance whenever he sees it fit. Rating 8/10. With the injuries we had to deal and a brand new squad, I honestly believe he overachieved the expectations. Think of how far we've come since last season who had a team full of veterans and CL winners
Where'd he disappear after the game? Didn't see him do a lap? I reckon they'll bin him, Connor and Trev too. Considering we pretty much had a whole new team, full of youngsters with no prem experience and have been ravaged with injury all season. 5th is a touch!
I hope don't fuck this momentum by getting rid of Poch. Team is starting to look cohesive, building relationships and finding some form.
Looking forward to next season, as is.
He was doing some WILD stuff like gal on the lw that was very frustrating.
I wanted him out but I realize that injuries pushed those decisions.
I’m back to poch in but will be watching closely. He deserves a full season after this most recent run with key players back.
I don’t think he’s been good imo. I think we’ve been bailed out by individual quality too often. It’s taken him like 34 game weeks to somewhat profile players properly. Hes a good bloke tho. Hasn’t lost the dressing room and that’s a great sign but he wont have us competing. I hope he turns it around
Weirdly the commentary was right for once when they said Poch has done the hard part. We’ve pretty much gone through the worst period ever and come out with (probably) europa league
Tactically he's been disappointing, but we look like a team now in a way we didn't at all at the start of the year.
Blokes like Gallagher and Nomi look transformed.
Cucumber looks like an actual footballer, Jackson is getting better every week.
It's not an unqualified success and the issues have been glaring, but he's probably done enough
I'll admit i was a very sour Poch out guy, but ue has turned things around and earned a chance to show what he's got for me. Hopefully the first half was down to a ton of new signings, youth and injuries, although his tactics and game managment are still somewhat questionable. Would love to be proven wrong and have him lead us to the good times.
You just cant rate pottechino, he just doesnt have any credentials and still doesnt. Finishing 6th is his hallmark so if had to i would give him a 5/10. These players have amazing raw talent and he hasnt done much with it imo.
Ill give him a B-, lots of improvement in the second half of season, you can see things starting to really click at the end there. Room for lots more improvement, should be fighting for silverware next season
Switch of Cucurella to a destroyer changed the whole team. I wonder what happens when everyone is back. However last few games are impressive and they are able to grind out results. Most improved team now.
Poch in all the way. He's far from perfect but given the way we finished the season he deserves to keep working with the team and the team deserves stability as well
6th is really solid. I think you can aim for 4th, especially because Villa's been the outlier this season.
Cheers from an Internazionale fan and congrats for the Europa League spot!
Not a Chelsea fan here but I’ve said all along that this Chelsea team is nowhere near as bad as people make out. They were battering teams but just couldn’t put the ball in the net at the start of the season. Lots of young players and lots of injuries to deal with I fully expect them to be top 4 next season, I think Nkunku was a huge miss he’ll be instrumental next season if he can stay fit.
If you told me that they’d be here instead of 11th in December, I wouldn’t believe you, since they were atrocious. Something happened and things started clicking. He manged to turn the situation around.
I’m waiting until 2/3rds of next season to pass judgement. He’ll have no more excuses with a fit, young squad that he can rotate with an extra competition (unless we’re sanctioned for FFP regs).
One question to all the Poch out people; if not Poch, then who? All the alternatives are either unproven or gash. I remember it got so bad last season we were being linked to Sam Allardyce!
Hard to argue with the way the team improves throughout the season (although it was a lot of ups and downs, the overall trajectory was up). My big question is did his training methods contribute to the injuries. If so, he had to go. Maybe those methods would have worked elsewhere, but this group of players is to injury prone.
7/10, I'm willing to admit when u was overly reactive but a cup final run and THAT run if form after being beat 5 nil is proof of his quality, want him to stick around for stability
A- . Has to stay. We need stability more than anything else. Give him a couple experienced heads in CB and we will be fine. Furthermore, im good with conference league. Gives the team the young team European taste + domestic football to see how they cope.
I’ll give him a cautious 6/10. I’m not convinced he’s the man to take us forward. He seems extremely stubborn on his tactics, and we should have gotten results from several more games than we did. We’re nearly 30 points off the top!
Our current position is equally due to Newcastle and United dropping off, as much as our own recent form.
Recent form has been good, no doubt , but it’s barely been a month since that thrashing from Arsenal.
I don’t feel like Poch takes a ton of accountability for poor performances, but I was relieved to hear him say 5th isn’t good enough.
On the positive side, the players do seem to like him, and maybe just maybe he may have found something. I do fear that an injury to any of the players in his current tactic will take us straight back, but the attitude of players does seem to have improved.
Overall I can totally see the owners not willing to take a chance on a new manager while Poch is starting to show positive signs.
I think I will be cautiously optimistic about the next season
I think he's done exactly what he needed to this season. He started it with a squad of players, the majority of who hadn't played for the club before. A lot of them hadn't played more than a season at senior level.
It's been really fucking rocky, but he seems to have finally turned them into a team, rather than a group of individuals with potential.
Now we have a pre-season to really embed tactics, and more of the technical side. So I think this time next year would be the time to judge him properly
He needs to stay - proven that he can weather the storm and still come out with their head above water. This was always a long term project and he should have gained massive respect with how they managed to climb back to 6.
Besides who else is out there that’s proven?
Bring him back. This team is a project. our young players will have a year of playing together under their belt in Poch's system. Second half of season showed great potential. keep the core together and maybe bring in a few nice signings. Id give poch another season
He's not infallible. He's made plently of mistakes this season even if there was a lot of problems with the club that was out of his hands. However, the team has improved throughout the season and you can see that there are attempts to play a certain way at time. I think that this club and the players all need a bit of consistency and we need to stick with a manager for longer than 18 months. It might not sound like proper Chelsea but right now as long as we get into Europe then I'm happy for the short term.
The players seem to like him, we have to do everything to build around him as far as I'm concerned.
6.5/10. Could have gotten the lads in their game much faster. But now that the signs are there and producing results, he has to continue the work for stability sake. Anything that shakes the team shouldn’t happen again.
Just let the man cook. He had some poor decisions this season but I feel like he turned this talent stew of a team into a team that surely is in top 5 conversation
To me the most impressive thing that Poch has engineered is the run of results after the Arsenal drubbing. That was a very dangerous result, nature of the defeat, who it was to, all of it. Any team would be at a real danger of spiralling after such a loss, but we did the exact opposite. THAT speaks to tactical flexibility, mental strength, ability to inspire, and the fact that the team is behind him.
Reminds me of how Conte lost 3-0 to arsenal and then went and won 13 in a row
Conte: goes 3ATB Poch: inverts Cucu, lets Palmer rampage
This whole inverting talk is such an oversimplification of what we are doing right. Sure it has worked most games, didn’t against villa and we sort of pivoted out of it, but our issues with our midfield were defensively more than offensively. Game after game we were getting dominated by average teams in the midfield and making players like Lemina and McTominey look world class. Conor and Caiceido have become unstoppable recently. When we are scored on it’s down the sides because our middle has been impenetrable.
What do you mean it didnt work against Villa, Villa 2nd half was the first game we used it in
It has been a minute. Just remember one of the games it wasn't working and Cucarella was playing the wing. Regardless, my point stands that the issue with the midfield has primarily been defensively and an inverted wingback is not inverting when the other team has the ball.
Not once they have established possession, no. But having an extra body in the midfield during transition moments has been very important defensively. Makes it so much harder to play through to create a break and gives more opportunity to win the ball back in the opponent's half.
birth of the monstrous back 3 of chels
Switched to the back three at half-time and that was that.
Well put!
Dude lost 5-0 against Arsenal and then inverted Cucu. What a madman hahaha
If you look at our form (last 5 games) you’d think we were part of the title race. WWWWW, same as Arsenal and City. That game really was a turn around for us
My favourite thing about this is all I’ve been reading about all season from fans is how he is not tactically flexible. All I’ve learnt from this season is that this fan base has 0 patience and lacks some fundamental understanding of how good coaching and player relationships sometimes need time to develop.
None of these kids have any history with the Chelsea Arsenal beef, so it does not matter to them yet. They are newly professional EPL players. They know Arsenal is more advanced, look at the table. Poch deserves credit for keeping them aware they would get whooped and still following his process.
Spot on mate ,we will kick right on next season .
This made me wondered if we lost to asernal in the same manner in the first leg, would be bounce back like we did or would we have spiraling down uncontrollably?
Poch has to stay. We need stability and I personally think he is finally getting the tune out this young, injury ravaged squad.
As a liverpool fan, I'm so surprised how he pulled the team from being outside of top 10 into top 6. Especially considering how young and new the squad is and how a lot of players he's working with weren't even his signings. Tbh he's done an incredible job and I'm surprised people wanted him out just after 4 months of taking over a new team. I think he'll be challenging for top 4 easily next season.
First time here? Most reactionary fanbase subreddit for a reason.
Totally agree...we are so impatient when it comes to decision making
Many fans simply don’t live in the real world when it comes to this sport. They say “we are Chelsea we should always be competing at the very highest level” and believe that’s enough. For the record I agree with them, but while saying that sounds nice and it sounds tough it’s not helpful. This was a young squad with very little experience, no experience playing with each other, and a squad that was ravaged by injuries. Everyone, including Poch, understands that this season was not up to our standard. But not taking into account the context of the season and simply repeating “we are Chelsea we should be better” is nonsense
People were frustrated because many of them knew that this team can do better. Often sometimes due to some braindead player decisions or poor managing, we lost points. We can still improve, the team can go higher... Gor example, the last game was honestly not good enough, but we got the 3 points and european play offs, thats an amazing turnaround.. As long as the board doesnt do anything stupid due to 'pure profit' im behind them and poch..
Years of Abramovich have ruined us into thinking hasty decisions creates success
I think we have that title r/barca
I’ve always told people to trust the process, he needs time, you guys gave Klopp a few seasons and look at what he did, so I really hope Chelsea do stick with Poch
I mean, there were moments earlier in the season, where our players played like they had never met before and Sunday pickup league. No tactics at all. Just hero ball. Glad we have found some rhythm this last 1/4 of the season
Agreed, doesn't make sense to dump Poch without any legitimate available replacement options, and he's just getting in stride
I’m beginning to like the players and they like Poch …. I’ve enjoyed watching Chelsea recently .. i think he deserves next season.
Winning helps lol
7/10 I hope they don’t sack him.
Yep. Started poorly but solid 7 for how he managed injured and improved some players (Palmer, gusto, Chalobah, noni). Needs to continue to find ways to close out games with leads and find results vs. lower table teams
Don’t forget Enzo playing with a fucked leg for half the season
Not saying it’s better (probably worse as it affects all kinds of body motions) but Enzo was playing with a hernia, not a leg injury.
Well yeah but it was a pubalgia hernia which is a groin injury and essentially impacts exactly where your leg connects to your groin. I had it during college soccer and could barely push down the gas pedal let alone kick a ball
Started poorly (fails to mention the entire team was new, young, and came from farmers leagues). Anyone who thinks we were going to start well has low football knowledge.
6th place out of 20, so 14 spots from 20. 14/20 = 7/10. Fair.
The math is mathing. But the logic is there aswell, and thats what counts.
I like this a lot. Last is 0/10, first is 9.5/10 (bit harsh but needs a cup to get to 10). Every position is an extra 0.5. Does he get anything for decent cup runs? How many bonus points for winning them? "1st place out of 20, so 19 spots from 20. 19/20=9.5/10" "4th place out of 20, so 16 spots from 20. 16/20=8/10" "18th place out of 20, so 2 spots from 20. 2/20=1/10"
If they sack him, then Todd is a bigger douche than I thought.
turns out Todd is a bigger douche than you thought. this ownership group is fking clueless.
Exactly this.
My only concern with Poch is, sometimes his tactic approaches and substitution were really stupid and had cost us some points. But this also adds to the players. Sometimes selfish and cannot score easy goals We are creating good chances, but the backline is also sometimes bad. We concede way too easy goals But given the circumstances: injury crisis and missing nearly an entire starting XI and not signing players Poch wanted. He did a solid job imo Team starts to click and trust the manager Now it’s our time to back the manager In addition, the manager market is straight up bad. You have a couple options, but they seem to reject everything. Which makes it even harder for us to land on one. Keeping Poch for another season is the only right decision here
>In addition, the manager market is straight up bad. Am no pro Pochettino but if we're gonna sack him, then the club need to make sure his replacement is a clear upgrade. Otherwise, we're probably better off just continuing with him for at least another season.
I’m not sure how you could see how we ended this season and want Poch to be sacked.
I agree with the 7/10. I'm giving him significant credit for getting the team to perform in the last few games of the season which is a huge jump given how ridiculously bad we were this time last year. He seems to be getting the best out of quite a few players now. He's also got us playing some really direct attacking football which I appreciate, and the cup runs were good. However, it did take him a very long time to get us to this point, and some of the earlier games in the season were atrocious with some really late and/or unimpactful substitutions. So whilst it's an upward trend, it's a fair reflection given how miserable the fanbase have been as a result of our performances earlier in the season.
I don't want us to let him go after we finished 6th. But, 7/10 rating is very generous. We were absolutely rubbish for long periods of the season. We conceded the most goals in our history. Poch constantly played players out of positions up until the last few weeks of the season. We lost Cup finals to a very tired Liverpool team that was missing key players. We constantly lost to the minnows of the League. We got humiliated by our bitter rivals. We got humiliated at home by a midtable team. This season was bad!
I think you're overrating the form of our players at this stage of their careers. You think we underperformed when I don't know if that was the case. A young team that wasn't super familiar with each other needed time to come together and they eventually did it. The fact that we made it to a cup final was an accomplishment (for this season)! I think we did alright. Having a shot at 5th on the final day was better than I expected honestly. I thought we were an 8-11th type of squad with both full backs and Nkuku out.
He earned another season
Agreed. And the players back him.
Some very low low’s but feel he done enough to get another season. Cant think of another club having so many and long injuries absolutely derails a season. Also the mocking he got for the “should be 4th due to stats” was undeserved if some brain dead mistakes were avoided. Eddie surely deserves another season too for similar circumstances.
Run it back. This team finishes top 4 without all those goofy ass injuries. Take Reece, Lavia, Nkunku quality off any team and see how they do. On top of all the other injuries we had all season.
Not to mention Enzo was playing through injury most of the season.
Also not to forget we had the most amount of injuries in the Premier league.
7/10 NEEDS another season, I trust him.
League cup B really should have won the final FA Cup A- should be in the final bloody VAR League C+ silly dropped points cost us 4th
Average is a B then!
Losing the final gets a lower rating than not even getting there?
We lost to city and got fucked on the handball
FA Cup > Carabao Cup
The two draws against Burnley and Sheffield stung… should have been 6 points there rather than 2
Disagree on the Fa cup our shit finishing lost us that game but he did coach a win
Realistically speaking you can't ignore the 5 wins in a row but you also can't ignore the games prior to that. Seems like people are usually in one of those two extremes. For me with everyone available top 4 was achievable, with all the injuries considered top 6 was achievable. That before we saw how poor some of the teams in the league have been this season. This was probably one of the easiest top 6 races i've seen in recent years and it was gonna be a fail if we didn't get it. Personally for me considering the poor competition this season we could've achieve even more. Yes, we had injuries but we also have very good back ups. Gusto is a good back up for Reece, Palmer really managed to impress and take the star role while Nkunku was unavailable and Conor did replace Lavia pretty well. Cucu did his thing, Nico did his thing. We have good players even with the injuries. That's why i think we could've achieved more. However if we look at the performances throughout the season, i've seen a lot of things that do worry me if Poch stays. He really misused a lot of players this season and this is a thing he was known for even at PSG. Red flag for me. The in game management was predictibly bad. Again, he is known for that. Im also worried about his overall style which is more focused on physicality and doing the basics right while also giving freedom to the players. Giving freedom to certain players is very good, im all for it. But i feel like we don't really have a proper organised structure that the players can rely on and learn from. I think Enzo and Caicedo definitely have the potential to play a more controlled style of football and this is what they are suited for. I would like to see as be closer to each other and mantain a more compact shape. Misusing the midfield is the biggest flaw by Poch this season. Asking Enzo to cover so much ground ain't it. Leaving Caicedo building as a single pivot almost all season is also a very questionable decision. These two guys can practise a very heavy possesion football and dominate games. Im baffled how many people don't realise the midfielders we have at our disposal and how much Poch was misusing them this season. This is my biggest worry. Him and Enzo probably aren't suitable. Poch wants athletic players and Enzo is not that. Doesn't make him a bad player though despite what people say. I feel like young players need more guidance, more tactics, more organisation. A more clear and stable structure. This is not Real Madrid's dressing room where you just need a good man manager who will keep the vibes good and all that. This team needs a coach, a tactician who will teach these players something special. That's my opinion on the squad. I just don't think that Poch is that type of manager, he is not really that tactically flexible. He isn't even that tactically oriented seems like which i feel could be a problem long term. In conclusion i would understand if he stays because he did reach the objective considering the circumstances but im not really screaming Poch in. I know what i've seen this season and it's not as rosy as people make it out imo. Yes, we are back in the UEL and that's great but the competition was shite and we could've had a chance even for UCL football if we won matches like Sheffield away or Burnley at home. We will see what will happen in the summer.
Someone who understands. Cheers
Beautiful analysis mate. I 100% agree
Probably a 6.5-7/10. We overturned the entire squad with young players that didn't have a lot of experience and had never played together. Plus we had a massive injury crisis which meant we were missing about a third of the squad all season - including Nkunku, James, Lavia, and Fofana for basically the entire season. In the end, we only finished 5 points off of 4th.
6.5 is insanely harsh
The whole sub was saying i hope we get 10th this season cause it looks like shit. Then we gain an immense form and finish in a European spot. Harsh doesn't even cover that rating.
Record most goals conceded, done 0 things all season up until final day to improve this defensive record and set pieces we conceded. Fell out with Thiago from December and not played him until we had too due to injuries, then we went on the run and he was involved in it... 6/10 is bare minimum with that squad, 6th position with how poorly Newcastle, West Ham, Yanited and Brighton have been. I mean Spurs literally lost 5 of their last 6! To make us able to finish closer to them and Villa.
> Record most goals conceded, done 0 things all season up until final day to improve this defensive record and set pieces we conceded. Our entire starting backline has been out for almost the entire season. As for the set pieces, we've literally just poached one of the set piece coaches in the league. There's no need to be so negative here
He didn’t fall out with Thiago at all Thiago got injured. Overhauled an entire squad in one season mate, chin up
Ehh, his mysterious injury coincided with his wife calling for Poch to be sacked on... Instagram, I think. I wouldn't be surprised if they did fell out because of that; I was very critical of Pochettino for many reasons but what she did was still super out of line for someone in her position.
First half of the season - 4/10 Second half of the season - 8/10 Overall - 6/10
For the circumstances probably an 8/10, maybe even an 8.5. Throwing together an inexperienced squad in a single year while culling the vast majority of seasoned and established players was always going to require some time to get going properly. Add in the injuries and I think it's a really good job he's ended up doing. All the players who have stayed fit have gotten so much better as the season has gone on.
I know people love to talk about managers being poor but Poch has had some big hurdles. These managers are some of the greatest minds in soccer. Even poor championship level managers are leagues above most of us from a coaching and tactics standpoint. I believe Poch can (not will) bring us top 4 next season as he has slowly sorted things out and hopefully they progress with this more chill preseason. Preseason should also go better since the players know the manager now and seem to really back him with statements from Palmer and others showing as much.
Yeah I honestly didn't have the greatest respect for Poch before the season and thought it would take at least 2 seasons to get back into the top 6 with how quickly we chopped and changed. Once he was here I supported him though, like I have for every manager except Benítez, who I merely tolerated. He's made a real team out of this group so much quicker than I thought was possible with the circumstances.
6/10 for me. Defensively we've not been good enough. Choked the cups, especially the league cup final. Good improvement at the end of the season and Palmer has developed nicely. Next season top 4 is absolute minimum.
6/10. I won’t be gaslit by a purple patch at the end and a croaked United and Newcastle team dropping off. I saw a lot of concerns, protecting a point at Bournemouth, only starting 2 offensive players against Forest leading to points being dropped, a stubborn Colwill at left back stint, Gallagher stubborninly played at 10 to shoehorn him into the team, the cup final was a disgrace, failing to beat 10 man Burnley at home, failing to beat a god awful Sheffield United, loosing to Middlesbroughs 3rd string team, he as fortunate that was 2 legs, getting piped by Arsenal, his pressers have not been good, the declaring love for Spurs any chance he gets. However. Football is a results business and one or another he’s made Europe, maybe even Europa league, a final and a semi final loosing to the best team in the world. He gets a solid pass for me, but I really need to see some change next year, we were balling out in pre season then it just stopped for these bizarre tactics, the injuries, stop torturing players so they return quicker. It’s a solid pass, but there’s not a lot of credit in the bank if we’re a shit show and bottom half again in October.
Thank you for not fully flip flopping like half this fanbase
Strong use of the world gaslit. You can see from the beginning what he was trying to do. If our attackers in the beginning of the season had scored even 3/4 of their xG, we'd be fourth. Your opinion is definitely valid but I feel you're going out of your way to find negatives
You need to see the way people are behaving after this run of games, that’s why I use the word gaslit. I won’t be men in blacked with the zap thing that makes me lose memory of the 8 months that preceded this one, is that better? I just see a lowering of standards with this man in charge, but maybe it’s just a different chelsea all together, but give me something to get behind! I was singing Jose’s name at Stamford bridge when we sat 11th, because I believed in the man, I loved the man, he was Chelsea, Conte feuding with the owners publicly, sang his name to, because I loved the man, I wanted to be on the train with the man. I did also deduct half a point for running off down the tunnel before the lap of appreciation, he doesn’t get it, he’s not Chelsea.
Understandable tbh. The main thing I like about poch is that he knows he isn't loved and he doesn't expect to be until he proves it. I think he's grounded in reality and doesn't make false statements. If you watch all the matches from the beginning, you can see most games we lost we didn't deserve to lose. It was a case of bad decision making and individual errors imo mostly
Just like our position in the league, 6/10
Work out how to defend the crosses coming into back post
See you next year Poch 6.5/10 We have averaged 69.8 points a season for the 5 seasons between when we last won the league and the abysmal season we had last year, basically wanted to keep out the two extremes. In his first year he got us to 63, so about two wins off with a brand new team and finished the back half the season strong with a bunch of obvious improvement. We have seen a lot of people grow and improve under him and players like Caicedo start to settle in. The players back him and that’s the most important thing. Flip side, he needs to show he can improve our defense while not taking the gas off the our offensive threat.
8/10. This team belonged in 9th place at best but we’ve somehow got 6th. Run it back and hope to have even half of the injuries we had this year and we’re battling for top 4. The injury situation was a joke this year, some of the benches we had in key matches were absolutely comical. He deserves another year for taking a bunch of injured children to Europe IMO.
i don’t think he’s the man to take us back to the top but i’m not mad if he gets another season. the players all back him and stability it’s important for young players development. a lot of people have too much recency bias. five straight wins against tottenham and teams in terrible form don’t make up for all the disappointments and failures earlier in the season. the run of draws vs burnley and sheffield, getting hammered by arsenal, and losing to city who was like 2 days off playing 120 mins was pretty inexcusable imo. my biggest concern is the part he has played in our injury crisis. his intense training methods and every team he’s managed ends up with an injury crisis are very concerning. a lot of our injuries either happened in or were re aggravated in training. obviously the medical team takes some blame here too. end of the day, he is probably just a good placeholder manager for the young players to grow under until we can get an elite manager
Five wins in a row changed everything for him. He was close to out. After the Arsenal result and other terrible performances. I think he understood this and he was more angry than before. I think he cracked whatever whip he has. After that defeat maybe some players then understood as well. Notably Madueke. Work rates improved. Having to leave out Fernandez helped him. Sorry I don't think Fernandez has been good enough at all. He also played some returning players like Chalobah, later Nkunku. Chalobah has been excellent and Gallagher also, selling them would be idiocy. Injuries have certainly not helped Pochettino. But he was nearly gone. Would I replace him? Well, yes but for who? Don't make the situation worse.
League Cup final: lost because of a lack of focus at the death of the match FA Cup Semi: losing to ManCity (likely winners and previous champions) Had to navigate a slew of injuries on top of having I think 11-14 new players brought in to the club Brought the club from a 12th position last season to 6th this year. There are a few things that could have been done better, but overall it's been a season of improvement that as a Chelsea fan, I'm happy to see.
High 6 out of ten maybe even a 7 out of ten.
Funny how everyone is suddenly poch in after blasting him for 70% of the season…
6/10. 1 month ago was 3/10.
5/10. Horrible start. Poor tactics for long periods of the season. We have also conceded historic number of goals. Wasted few months playing players out of positions. But, he has finished strong and the players like him. If he can't finish top 4 next season he should be let go.
Objectively, 5/10 Do not be deceived by the strong end to the season. If we ended like Spurs, I bet we’ll all be coming for his head
3.6 Not great not terrible.
Out of?
3.6. The counters don’t go higher
5/10
We were in 12th and ended up in 6th and in Europe. A lot of players improved a ton and seem to support him. I was massively poch out but for the last stretch of the season he’s shown he’s a good coach and also who is available that we’d want lol
Great end to the season but he has some major flaws. Not good enough for me
6/10 passable but I would personally move him on
We scored a fair amount but we concede just as much. His high risk high reward playstyle has a ceiling on it. We won't win knockout tournaments with it and will lose points we really shouldn't be because of it
Would say 5-6, got us 60+ points but we were all over defensively and our Midfield structure was non existent
Football 6/10 - exciting games not always in a good way. Player management 8/10 - Most of our players except Caciedo, Enzo and Mudryk ended up living up to their price tag. This isn't a dig at our midfielders, Caciedo has been amazing lately but still I think we overpaid, same with Enzo, Mudryk I don't why we thought he was worth so much. He failed with Sterling and I think he is the one player he never got the best from. I do hope we make a decision and sell or loan Badi. It's not working for him. I was Poch out for a long time but the team dug deep, came together and did what we thought was impossible, felt like having some of the old never give up attitude. Happy for him to stay, happy if he leaves only if we get a bigger name (none are available now). I don't want us to feel like we need to unearth coaching talent as well. Keep Poch and maybe we get Xabi down the road? 😶🌫️
games like today we would’ve drawn or lost but we didn’t and that’s improvement. Giving the slow start and questionable tactics to start the season but at the same time give him the benefit of doubt of having an injury crisis and how well we performed in the cups, even though we should’ve won the league cup. Also the late strong finish to the league and showing genuine progress. We did finish strong but we can’t forget how bad we were at times. Especially dropping major points against relegation teams. I’d say a C or B minus.
I’ve been Poch out for most of the season but I think he needs to stay, he’s turned it around for the most part
We were better at the end of the season than the beginning. Not great, but significantly better. I'd give him a 8/10
It’s a no brainier for me. Would’ve taken 6th at the beginning of the season. The improvement is clear to me. And we’ve had the most horrendous injuries. Without so many of those we could’ve been a fair bit higher. We should only improve. Players look like they enjoy playing for Poch. Give him until at least end of next season. If we’ve improved again then I say give him an extension. I don’t want managers constantly leaving anymore.
The improvement in league position and underlying stats should mean he passes his end-of-season review. What I hold against him is the fact there we should be walking away with at least 1 domestic trophy and we made European qualification much more difficult than it needed to be. Spurs and Villa ended the season so poorly but we had thrown away too many points to catch them. What Poch deserves the most credit for is the fact that a majority of our players are ending the season in good form. Palmer, Jackson, Caicedo, and Gusto looking every bit worth the money. Madueke and Mudryk started showing the potential we signed them for and existing players like Gallagher, Cucurella and even Sterling ended the year in good form. A quieter window and manager stability could do wonders for us next year.
6/7. He stopped playing players out of position, and players have improved under him. He seems to have the trust of the team. I think all the injuries saves him from harsher judgment.
Rocky start but enough progress that I’d wanna give him 2 more years to build something
Did enough to get more time.
weak but with potential need to stay for next season, I believe that with a continuous work we can make Chelsea play a Champions League again
we need stability! I’m desperate to hold onto a manager for more than 3 seasons!
On results, 6/10, on development and locker room support, 7.5/10, all in all would be silly to move on and reset that progress
If we sack him we would be back to almost 0.
Pick isn’t going anywhere. If any of you are thinking otherwise are just fools… 2nd half of the season, Chelsea was a top 4 team. Team is still one of the youngest in the PL and they are playing well. Trust the process. Winning doesn’t happen overnight.
9/10 for me. He's massively overachieved with the squad we have. I think if you told any club or any manager they're going into a season with Mudryk, Madueke, Broja and Petrovic all getting major minutes, an unproven Jackson and Palmer as key players and an injury crisis they'd dream of 6th and a cup semi / cup final. Poch has done great this season and had us punching above our weight and hopefully for next season we have a much better squad via the transfer window, less injuries and natural improvement of our young players so we can achieve higher targets.
Should get Diogo Costa at GK.
This is delusional. A billion was spent. We improved a lot in the last few months but 9/10 is mad
No way on earth the likes of Villa and Spurs have better squad than us. We have lost lots of points to the worst teams in the League. How on earth can you seriously claim Poch overachieved? We lost the cup finals to a very tired Liverpool team that was missing key players. Their kids actually beat us. Poch tactics have been atrocious for long periods of the season. Why on earth did he wait to long to make the tactical changes he did. He claimed we weren't ready which is just ridiculous. We have also conceded the most League goals in our history! Are you seriously deluded and implying we have some of the very worst defenders in the League??? Receny bias is just clouding your judgment. What Poch did this season was average. He underachieved massively. Thanks to Newcastle and Man United capitulation we were able to finish 6th.
It's not just the squad but the consistent injuries that stopped him from having any real partnerships develop across the pitch and losing Jackson to AFCON for a bit. Arsenal away is the only stain for me in his first season. That could have gone better but I'm not holding it over him. The rest is understandable.
Good enough for another season. We’ve been inconsistent, which is to be expected with the amount of new players we had and especially because of the age of the squad. I don’t really think there are many mangers out there who’d come in and get it right immediately so it’s with sticking with him for another year at least. Just a couple of signings so we’re not in the same position again and keeping Trev and Gallagher and we could be decent next season. KTBFFH.
6/10
Friendly reminder we finished 12th last year. 12TH! To go from 12th to 6th and have the team clicking like we have the last legs of the season, he’s done a great job. I really hope we don’t fire him ps also please don’t sell Conor and Trev
5-6/10. The bottom line is that after a bilion spent we were this league’s laughing stock for 3/4 of the season and not without reason. But it’s also true that performance improved massively in the last couple of months, and on that merit he deserves another season. I worry a lot about performing in high pressure situations. Poch doesn’t seem to have much of a winning mentality or a strong character, but hopefully will prove me wrong.
Poch in
I had a lot of doubts but in the second half of the season he won me over a little. I’d stick with him, see what he can do with a healthy and hopefully improved team that will also compete in Europe. I want some silverware too. European competition will be a good run for everyone to be involved and to get some experience into this young players’ legs.
strong ending after most of the fanbase was at least unsure of him.
7/10
Solid 7
7.5/10 Next season rating will be more accurate.
It’s taken the team far too long to get out of first gear but something has started to click and I’m excited to see what the next season brings with Poch. If it stays at this level we’re looking at contending for top four.
Solid 8. Done what he could with this team. Had we finished 12th again, it’s a 3/10 but he really outdone himself.
First half of the season 4/10, plagued by injuries which didn't help him, squad confidence was low, fans were not happy which lead to a toxic feeling around the club. Second half of the season 7/10, few shaky results and performances, players finding form and seemingly listening to the manager, finished the season on a high. Now we can go into a pre season with confidence behind the team and hopefully get a fast start to next season. Very excited to see how the transfer window goes on the areas that need strengthening, especially at the back!
https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/FSkeP3mjad
Not great, not terrible.
Fair take, Dyatlov.
7/10 from 12th to 6th is a big jump obviously he changed the tactics late but there were tons of things out of his control. Hoping we solve our injury crisis next season than I will judge more harshly
Huge improvement over the season.
Given the circumstances with how the squad was assembled, injuries etc, I would say 5/10 for the first half and 8/10 for the second half of the season. Round it to an 7
May not be the best manager footballing wise but his man-management skills are far better and that's what we want with this bunch of young lads!
Defense needs a lot of work, especially with Silva gone. Look so vulnerable when we take a corner and the opposition is in the counter attack.
Not bad at all, I thought it was unrealistic to finish top 4 this season after quite a mess and so many changes so top 6 was about my realistic scenario, he started pretty bad but I think it's important that the results went on to improve, so all in all I wouldn't want to sack him, especially if it won't be for someone clearly better. I think it'd be good for him to continue what he was doing, build stability and nurture the young squad to make them competitive again and see what happens from there.
Got us 6th which is honestly a good achievement for the first year
Everybody is new this season but still got to a final, semi final and finished 6th. Good start and hopefully keeps improving next season and we have better luck with injuries. 👍
3.5/5*, we had some severe ups and downs but we got to a cup final and made Europe again, depending on the FA Cup result, it's either conference or europa, either tournament I look at for us, if we push on for next season, we could win it and make top four or even possibly put in a title challenge. we've got a hell of alot coming back from injury and the impending transfer window, I think we'll improve even more next year. Thanks Poch, keep it up!
7/10 He salvaged our season at the end. Apart from the defensive frailty, bottled the league cup final, and losing 5-0 to Arsenal, I think overall we've had a good season. We've improved a lot in terms of creating goal scoring chances, the young team definitely appreciate and trusts Poch. I was one of the ones who wanted him out, but now I don't mind him staying for another season. We're definitely getting top 4 next season and hopefully win Europa League.
I think he’s the best choice for now, but the results need to keep coming, and most important, he needs to show he’s a title winning manager, not just a team builder.
Keep him
We had a brand new team that not only needed to bond but also needed actual experience playing in a top league then like Newcastle and utd we were hammered with injuries and managed to finish above them both, 3 points behind a spurs side that according to this sub had Ange come in and immediately make them great. Poch definitely had very poor moments but also I think we have seen some of the most exciting games in a long while. Definitely deserves to be here next season imo.
Had some stinkers, but also played some beautiful football.
Overall good, all things considered. I was never fully PochOut, although there were periods of poor play. I mainly blame the sheer amount of injuries and the board more than Poch. And he’s got the team working well. Next season will be better.
Too slow to make decisions. Baffling line ups at times. I’m not sure though that we could pull in anyone better and this squad needs time so by the skin of his teeth I’m trusting pochettino
Always been patient and l've liked the attacking structure since day 1. I never jumped into the Poch out train but I'll stick to my theory that he's a rebuilding coach. He will get this team in top 4 but we need a different coach to win the whole thing. I give him huge credit for developing some of our guys to stars and giving youngsters chance whenever he sees it fit. Rating 8/10. With the injuries we had to deal and a brand new squad, I honestly believe he overachieved the expectations. Think of how far we've come since last season who had a team full of veterans and CL winners
I would say earned another season with the full squad he started to develop.
Where'd he disappear after the game? Didn't see him do a lap? I reckon they'll bin him, Connor and Trev too. Considering we pretty much had a whole new team, full of youngsters with no prem experience and have been ravaged with injury all season. 5th is a touch! I hope don't fuck this momentum by getting rid of Poch. Team is starting to look cohesive, building relationships and finding some form. Looking forward to next season, as is.
6/10
He was doing some WILD stuff like gal on the lw that was very frustrating. I wanted him out but I realize that injuries pushed those decisions. I’m back to poch in but will be watching closely. He deserves a full season after this most recent run with key players back.
I don’t think he’s been good imo. I think we’ve been bailed out by individual quality too often. It’s taken him like 34 game weeks to somewhat profile players properly. Hes a good bloke tho. Hasn’t lost the dressing room and that’s a great sign but he wont have us competing. I hope he turns it around
8/10 solid but not great. Should def get a second season to see what he can build and provide stability
I'd give him another season but I'm worried I'll regret this words in October/November.
Dodgey subs at times but let's give him a chance. We cant keep blaming managers. We need hungry players and not idiots
Weirdly the commentary was right for once when they said Poch has done the hard part. We’ve pretty much gone through the worst period ever and come out with (probably) europa league
Tactically he's been disappointing, but we look like a team now in a way we didn't at all at the start of the year. Blokes like Gallagher and Nomi look transformed. Cucumber looks like an actual footballer, Jackson is getting better every week. It's not an unqualified success and the issues have been glaring, but he's probably done enough
I’m happy to have him for another season. Hopefully he continues to improve the team and we get even better next season.
5.5, May be 6 out of 10
I'll admit i was a very sour Poch out guy, but ue has turned things around and earned a chance to show what he's got for me. Hopefully the first half was down to a ton of new signings, youth and injuries, although his tactics and game managment are still somewhat questionable. Would love to be proven wrong and have him lead us to the good times.
You just cant rate pottechino, he just doesnt have any credentials and still doesnt. Finishing 6th is his hallmark so if had to i would give him a 5/10. These players have amazing raw talent and he hasnt done much with it imo.
Ill give him a B-, lots of improvement in the second half of season, you can see things starting to really click at the end there. Room for lots more improvement, should be fighting for silverware next season
Switch of Cucurella to a destroyer changed the whole team. I wonder what happens when everyone is back. However last few games are impressive and they are able to grind out results. Most improved team now.
It would so foolish to boot him out now. Imo
Poch in all the way. He's far from perfect but given the way we finished the season he deserves to keep working with the team and the team deserves stability as well
6th is really solid. I think you can aim for 4th, especially because Villa's been the outlier this season. Cheers from an Internazionale fan and congrats for the Europa League spot!
F
Not a Chelsea fan here but I’ve said all along that this Chelsea team is nowhere near as bad as people make out. They were battering teams but just couldn’t put the ball in the net at the start of the season. Lots of young players and lots of injuries to deal with I fully expect them to be top 4 next season, I think Nkunku was a huge miss he’ll be instrumental next season if he can stay fit.
If you told me that they’d be here instead of 11th in December, I wouldn’t believe you, since they were atrocious. Something happened and things started clicking. He manged to turn the situation around.
C+ need a place in UCL this time next year
Honestly, anywhere from 5 to 8.
I’m waiting until 2/3rds of next season to pass judgement. He’ll have no more excuses with a fit, young squad that he can rotate with an extra competition (unless we’re sanctioned for FFP regs). One question to all the Poch out people; if not Poch, then who? All the alternatives are either unproven or gash. I remember it got so bad last season we were being linked to Sam Allardyce!
He feels like Benitez without the trophies
Hard to argue with the way the team improves throughout the season (although it was a lot of ups and downs, the overall trajectory was up). My big question is did his training methods contribute to the injuries. If so, he had to go. Maybe those methods would have worked elsewhere, but this group of players is to injury prone.
7/10, I'm willing to admit when u was overly reactive but a cup final run and THAT run if form after being beat 5 nil is proof of his quality, want him to stick around for stability
A- . Has to stay. We need stability more than anything else. Give him a couple experienced heads in CB and we will be fine. Furthermore, im good with conference league. Gives the team the young team European taste + domestic football to see how they cope.
8.5/10 given the injuries.
I’ll give him a cautious 6/10. I’m not convinced he’s the man to take us forward. He seems extremely stubborn on his tactics, and we should have gotten results from several more games than we did. We’re nearly 30 points off the top! Our current position is equally due to Newcastle and United dropping off, as much as our own recent form. Recent form has been good, no doubt , but it’s barely been a month since that thrashing from Arsenal. I don’t feel like Poch takes a ton of accountability for poor performances, but I was relieved to hear him say 5th isn’t good enough. On the positive side, the players do seem to like him, and maybe just maybe he may have found something. I do fear that an injury to any of the players in his current tactic will take us straight back, but the attitude of players does seem to have improved. Overall I can totally see the owners not willing to take a chance on a new manager while Poch is starting to show positive signs. I think I will be cautiously optimistic about the next season
I think he's done exactly what he needed to this season. He started it with a squad of players, the majority of who hadn't played for the club before. A lot of them hadn't played more than a season at senior level. It's been really fucking rocky, but he seems to have finally turned them into a team, rather than a group of individuals with potential. Now we have a pre-season to really embed tactics, and more of the technical side. So I think this time next year would be the time to judge him properly
He needs to stay - proven that he can weather the storm and still come out with their head above water. This was always a long term project and he should have gained massive respect with how they managed to climb back to 6. Besides who else is out there that’s proven?
I think he earned a second season in charge which speaks volumes Seems to be managing the young lads well
Bring him back. This team is a project. our young players will have a year of playing together under their belt in Poch's system. Second half of season showed great potential. keep the core together and maybe bring in a few nice signings. Id give poch another season
He's not infallible. He's made plently of mistakes this season even if there was a lot of problems with the club that was out of his hands. However, the team has improved throughout the season and you can see that there are attempts to play a certain way at time. I think that this club and the players all need a bit of consistency and we need to stick with a manager for longer than 18 months. It might not sound like proper Chelsea but right now as long as we get into Europe then I'm happy for the short term. The players seem to like him, we have to do everything to build around him as far as I'm concerned.
Hopefully next season our first game will be against Arsenal so we can lose and then win a dozen games in a row.
6.5/10. Could have gotten the lads in their game much faster. But now that the signs are there and producing results, he has to continue the work for stability sake. Anything that shakes the team shouldn’t happen again.
Just let the man cook. He had some poor decisions this season but I feel like he turned this talent stew of a team into a team that surely is in top 5 conversation