Chelsea boss Pochettino has unthinkable ‘downside’ after West Ham loss | Soccer | Sport

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Chelsea icon Ashley Cole fears Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have sufficient targets in his workforce this season – regardless of the Blues spending over £300million beneath the Argentine this summer time. Proprietor Todd Boehly has spent over £850m in complete on new gamers since assuming management of the membership 12 months in the past.

New British file signing Moises Caicedo made his debut off the bench towards 10-man West Ham on Sunday nevertheless it was one to overlook each personally and collectively. Pochettino’s facet fell 3-1 on the London Stadium regardless of being considerably the higher workforce within the first 45 minutes.

Chelsea didn’t take their goalscoring alternatives with Nicolas Jackson and Ben Chilwell squandering significantly good possibilities. With the rating 1-1, Enzo Fernandez then missed a penalty after the brilliant Raheem Sterling was fouled.

Pochettino admitted post-match: “It was like we had been taking part in nicely however we didn’t get the reward.” And legendary former Blues left-back Cole is anxious that there aren’t sufficient targets within the facet after their profligacy was punished by the Hammers. It additionally price them victory towards Liverpool on the opening weekend, after they had been the higher workforce for a lot of the match solely to attract 1-1.

Cole is worried by the absence of injured summer time signing Christopher Nkunku and thinks the Frenchman’s interval out of motion may have a serious impression on Chelsea’s fortunes. He mentioned on Sky Sports activities: “I actually really feel there’s going to be an issue, when it comes to targets. Whether or not Nkunku comes again faster than we predict I don’t know. For me he’s a giant loss.

“And you’re looking at different gamers across the squad, [Mykhaylo] Mudryk is usually little bit too distant from the sport. Is he arriving within the field sufficient? After we had been there, that’s what we wished – penetration, runs behind, actually causes defences downside.

“I believed Raheem was good immediately, in addition to Jackson, however it’s simply the place are the targets going to come back from?” Chelsea’s lack of goalscorers is a close to unthinkable problem given how a lot cash they’ve spent this summer time and final season. 

They’ve introduced in 9 attackers beneath Boehly in Sterling, Nkunku, the £88m Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Datro Fofana, Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Angelo. But nonetheless they’re in need of pure goalscorer, with Romelu Lukaku – who spent final season on mortgage at Inter Milan – anticipated to go away Stamford Bridge within the subsequent few weeks.

With Nkunku more likely to be unavailable till December, Pochettino might want to configure a strategy to get extra targets from his gamers. Jackson, purchased from Villarreal for £30m in June, has began each of their first two Premier League matches after a powerful pre-season.

However whereas he has been a livewire towards Liverpool and West Ham, he’s nonetheless considerably uncooked at 22 years previous and should not but be prepared to hold the workforce’s goalscoring burden. With Chelsea eyeing an additional attacker – with Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson and Bradley Barcola all targets – they might nonetheless but determine to pursue one other centre-forward to enhance their frontline. 

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