Chelsea's record vs the Premier League bottom half is ABYSMAL

Cameron Smith

7 Apr 2024 21:25 BST
4 min read

Conor Gallagher, Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Chelsea continued their poor record against the smaller sides in the Premier League with a disappointing 2-2 draw against Sheffield United on Sunday.

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Thiago Silva opened the scoring at Bramall Lane with a neat finish from a Conor Gallagher corner before Jayden Bogle levelled things before half-time.

In the second-half, Noni Madueke looked as though he’d won it with a fantastic left-footed strike, but Oliver McBurnie netted a 93rd minute equaliser to condemn the Blues to their second 2-2 draw against a newly-promoted side in three games.

As a result, Chelsea have now picked up just 28 points from a possible 48 this season against the teams currently in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Fulham, Crystal Palace and Luton Town are the only three bottom half teams who have failed to pick up at least a point against the west London club so far this campaign.

Pochettino has struggled to improve an expensively-assembled Blues squad and while poor results against the best teams in the division may be excused considering the lack of experience at his disposal and the fact Chelsea have embarked on a multi-year project, their form against the smaller sides is abysmal.

Chelsea have led in each of the last four games in which they have dropped points against bottom half teams this season, and their failure to convert winning positions into actual wins has been their downfall in recent weeks.

Pochettino has helped guide Chelsea to impressive results against ‘top-six’ sides so far this campaign, including the 4-3 win over Manchester United, the 2-2 draw against Arsenal and two draws against Manchester City, but the Blues must beat the lesser teams if they harbour aspirations of securing European football and their form in these games is a real concern.

© IMAGO - Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure at Chelsea

The west London club have struggled immensely when faced against a deep block this campaign and Pochettino simply doesn’t seem like he has the answer as to why they are unable to generate a large number of chances when teams sit on the edge of their penalty area.

Chelsea fans have made it clear they believe Pochettino deserves to be sacked, but the owners’ stance is currently the opposite. However, if the Blues want to achieve future success with the Argentine at the helm, he must find a way to beat teams who sit deep and defend, otherwise mid-table mediocrity will continue.