‘We are so far away' – Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea have hit 'bottom' in one key area amid nightmare Premier League run

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Chelsea have hit "bottom" in one key area amid their nightmare Premier League run in 2023-24.

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• Chelsea have just two wins in their last five PL games
• Pochettino believes his side lack competitive edge
• Admitted injuries and suspensions add to frustration

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite encouraging displays against title contenders like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City at home, inconsistency has plagued the west London side since the Argentine took charge in the summer. Pochettino insists that the Blues' performances haven't been that bad, but also admits his players are lacking the competitive edge needed to be successful in the Premier League.

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• WHAT POCHETTINO SAID

  Speaking to the official Chelsea website, Pochettino said: "The performance from the beginning of the season is not bad. We could have said it’s very good, but in terms of competing we are at the bottom. That is why we are not in a better position in the table. Football is about having all the quality and knowledge in your set-ups, the way you press and build from the back, and so on. Then at some point during the 90 minutes, you need to compete: that is the moment you need to show you can play another [style of] football. We need to improve there."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea have spent over £1 billion on players since Todd Boehly took over in 2022 and fans expect that they should at least be competing for European football. However, that has not been the case and with Champions League qualification already looking out of reach in 2023-24, it seems the Blues will be waiting at least one more year for a return to the elite stage, with Pochettino conceding they are falling well short of their pre-season aims.

  "We are so far away from our targets," Pochettino added. "Our target was to be at the top, even if nobody believed it. Now we are fighting for different things. Because of our history the demand is to be at the top, but at the moment, being realistic, we need to increase the way we compete if we want to win more games than we lose."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Chelsea succumbed to their 19th Premier League loss in 2023 against Wolves last weekend, the joint-most in the English top flight along with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.