Mauricio Pochettino details reasons for Chelsea's defensive problems, believes the team is not 'mature enough'
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has explained why his side have been defensively weak this season. The Argentine manager believes his squad is not experienced enough to remain calm and composed while defending.
The Blues have had a turbulent season under Pochettino and sit ninth in the Premier League table. The west Londoners only recently returned to the top half of the table and are still 16 points adrift of the top four.
Chelsea have conceded 52 goals in the English top-tier this term while scoring 55 goals as well. Pochettino insists that it's all about striking the right balance between attack and defense, a skill his young squad will learn with time.
He said at a press conference (as quoted by football.london):
"In the same way we concede, we score. In the past we struggled to score goals but now we are scoring. It's about getting the right balance between the two phases. That is the normal process and normal balance when the team is not mature enough, you can suffer in these type of situations."
The Blues have not lost in their last seven league games, four of which, however, were draws. Speaking about their recent league record, Pochettino added:
"I think in the last seven or eight games, we didn't lose in the Premier League. The most important thing is to win games. Afterwards we want a clean sheet and not to concede, but at the moment it's about winning games, we want three points."
The Blues will next face Everton at Stamford Bridge on Monday night (April 15).
Chris Sutton makes prediction for Chelsea vs Everton
Chris Sutton has predicted a 1-1 draw for Chelsea's upcoming league encounter against Everton.
The Blues have been quite inconsistent in the Premier League this season. The west Londoners recently endured a disappointing 2-2 draw against 20th-placed Sheffield United last weekend, a fixture that saw Chelsea throw away the lead twice.
This came just after their dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester United on 4 April. Cole Palmer grabbed a hat-trick in the encounter, scoring two goals late into stoppage time to complete an emphatic comeback.
While giving his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures, Sutton highlighted the club's failure to maintain any form of consistency. He said:
"As usual with Chelsea, I don't have a clue what to go for here. If you look back at their results then they are on a seven-game unbeaten run in the league but they have drawn four of those matches because they always seem to shoot themselves in the foot."
"Everton beat Mauricio Pochettino's side at Goodison Park in December but only got their first league win of 2024 last week. Beating Burnley was massive for them, but they need to follow that up by getting something at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are still a developing team so I am going to go with the Toffees to take a point."