Mauricio Pochettino has cast doubts over Chelsea’s ability to have coped with European football this term amidst a significant injury crisis at the club.
The former Spurs boss is potentially facing up to 11 absentees for the upcoming clash with Everton, as both Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling are doubts for the Stamford Bridge fixture. This season marks Chelsea’s absence from European competitions for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign, and only the second time since the 1996/97 season, after they finished 12th in the Premier League last term.
Despite the setbacks, Chelsea have managed an impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in the league, their best run in nearly a year and a half, propelling them into contention for a spot in either the Europa League or Conference League. They also remain in the hunt for FA Cup glory.
However, Pochettino emphasised that Chelsea must resolve their injury woes if they aim to handle the additional strain of European matches next year. “Imagine if we had played in Europe this season, with all the circumstances (injuries)? Oh my goodness,” the 52 year old said.
“With a squad that is always between eight and 10 players missing in every single game. If you add more games, we would struggle a lot. Now it’s about experience, to have all the information to try to help the club to take the best decisions to avoid things like happened this season. That is out principal focus, to try to define a squad that can be fit, or have more than 80 per cent availability.”
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Teams in previous seasons have benefited from having a season without European competition, taking time to regroup before following up with much improved campaigns the following year. Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers in 2013/14 came within two points of winning the title whilst not having to contend with a European schedule, whilst Chelsea were crowned champions under Antonio Conte in 2016/17 a year after finishing 10th.
Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to a fifth-place finish in 2021/22, the club’s first without Europe in 26 years, during which the team showed significant progress that has led to them challenging for the title in consecutive seasons. Pochettino countered that the situation at Chelsea, whose owners have spent over £1billion on assembling a young and largely inexperienced squad, cannot be compared to previous examples.
“Now, it’s completely different,” he said. “You cannot compare to Conte or Brendan Rodgers, it’s not fair. We are in a different Chelsea today.
“The conversation is always to win the next game, then the next and then the next, and see in which position we arrive. To have targets is always good. But to have a target it is to have all the elements on (your) side. With all the circumstances we are living (with injuries), it’s about trying to be competitive in the next game, not to put objectives that maybe you will get very frustrated if you don’t win some games that you are supposed to win.”
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