'Really frustrated' - Pochettino slammed by Chelsea legend

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Jan 2024 15:27 GMT
• 3 min read

Mauricio Pochettino's start to life at Stamford Bridge has been massively underwhelming, according to William Gallas.

The Argentine was hired in the summer to turn Chelsea's fortunes around after an embarrassing mid-table finish last term, but so far it has been an up-and-down campaign for the former Tottenham and PSG boss.

Pochettino has struggled to get his young team to perform consistently, though injuries have also played their part in Chelsea's patchy form. Despite three consecutive wins, the Blues still only languish in ninth in the Premier League table, which is simply not good enough when you consider just how much money has been spent on this team.

Moreover, some of Pochettino's decisions have been questioned, such as lining Levi Colwill up at left-back, while playing Ian Maatsen, who has since departed for Borussia Dortmund, as a winger or not using him at all despite the shortage of available full-backs. According to Chelsea legend William Gallas, Pochettino has so far shown little to suggest he is the right man for the job.

What did Gallas say?

Speaking to Gambling Zone, Gallas said of the Argentine: "So far his management has not been really, really good at the moment. We can see the results." On Saturday, they won against Fulham but we never know if they’re going to win the next game and that’s a problem for Chelsea at the moment, one game they’ll win, the next they will draw or lose and it’s not enough."

“That’s why with Pochettino we’re still expecting more from him and from Chelsea. That’s why the fans are really frustrated with the results and how they are playing. It’s difficult to understand why the players are playing out of position, I don’t get why the manager is doing this."

“If you have a left-back in your squad and he’s available, you have to play him. The club buys players to play on the weekend and you have to put the best players in that position on the weekend on the pitch. If your left-back is so-so, you still have to put them in. You can’t put a right-back at left-back or a centre-back there, that’s why Pochettino’s tactics have been difficult to understand."