Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea are scoring more and running FURTHER than they were after 15 games under Tuchel and Potter... while they may be worse defensively, Boehly and Co still HAVE to trust the process

'I am not worried,' Mauricio Pochettino said, unpacking Chelsea's sixth loss of the season inside Old Trafford's press room following the 2-1 defeat by Manchester United.

It was a big night for Pochettino's adversary, Erik ten Hag, as a loss for the hosts would have compounded a miserable and trying week which saw Man United ban a group of high-profile reporters. 

On the opposite side is Pochettino and Chelsea, who were booed off by supporters on Wednesday night with some in the fan-base left asking if sticking with the former Tottenham boss will prove a mistake. 

'It's similar to a few weeks ago and months ago; we want to improve the position in the table, of course, but, at the same time, it is a reality that we played well until Newcastle, then well against Brighton and, today, the result is fair,' Pochettino said, no panic or stress in his voice.

'I am not worried because there are too many circumstances. You have to say why we didn't perform.'

Mauricio Pochettino and his Chelsea players were booed off by some fans at Old Trafford

In truth Chelsea were second best, but on another night this is a repeat of their 4-4 thriller with Man City.

Down 1-0 Chelsea broke free on a three v two following an error from Sofyan Amrabat and only Mykhailo Mudryk's miscued pass to Raheem Sterling kiboshed the move. 

A three v three would follow, this time Mudryk hitting the post after being played through by Nicolas Jackson. 

Then there was Sterling bearing down on goal before trying to tee up Jackson but getting that horribly wrong. Chelsea had chances. Plenty, in fact. 

'We are a project and not going to say what we were saying from the beginning of the season. We knew that with all the players fit, it was going to be difficult,' Pochettino continued. 

'Now, with half the squad out, it is hard to increase the level, very, very difficult. 

'It is hard to talk, not fair but that's the reality. We have to improve the players who arrive under massive pressure to perform, and it is about time.'

He continued: 'Now is not the same [feeling as Newcastle] because we miss players. I think we played against Brighton with one player less for 45 minutes. You can see also our bench is young.

'That is not an excuse but if we need to talk, we need to talk with the reality. I am not disappointed because they gave everything.

'Yes, we didn't match the energy and they were more aggressive than us but we were competitive and created chances, maybe enough to draw the game.

'We lost 2-1 and we got nothing so that might be where we get critics and people finding different reasons why we didn't win. But we need to be calm and keep going.'

Project is a word that often gets banded around with alacrity, but there is an overwhelming sense that it firmly does apply for Pochettino.

Eight of the starting XI on Wednesday were 25 years old or younger. Yes, this is an expensively assembled mess at times. Yes, Pochettino is not immune to criticism. No, he shouldn't find himself on 'thin ice', or whichever other perilous state you want to place him in.  

Take the first 15 games from this season under Pochettino and compare them to the opening 15 from last season, under Graham Potter.  

This current iteration of the Blues has had more shots, scored more goals, created more big chances, passed with a better accuracy, made more passes, had more touches in the opposition box - and they have run further per game.  

Project, work in progress, call it what you want. Statistically things are on an upward trajectory for an attack that, to the eye, can look anemic at times. 

But the trade-off is defensively and that won't be lost on Pochettino and his team of analysts.

Fewer clean sheets - just three from 15 this season compared to five from 15 last season - fewer tackles made, more errors leading to goals, more fouls conceded and fewer aerial duels won. 

That is on Pochettino and his coaches. He accused his players of being 'soft' and lacking in 'maturity, personality and character' after the 4-1 mauling at Newcastle. At United it was more a case of mismatches in key areas and a lack of poise when chances came. 

'Am I going to cry or complain? No. I need to accept this challenge and keep being positive,' Pochettino said after the 0-0 draw at Bournemouth earlier in the season. 

'Every team is going to compete and it’s going to be difficult, but fair or not fair those are the circumstances. We need to accept it and we need to be positive and patient. 

'We are not going to change the way that we are going to do things. 

'Given all the circumstances I think we are doing very good things, more than people can expect. But Chelsea's expectation is always to win. We are creating something that we need to believe in. 

'There are young guys who need to feel what it means to be a Chelsea player and what it means to play in the Premier League.'

Any Chelsea manager is under the pressure and can never get too comfortable in the dugout. That's just the nature of the club thanks to the Roman Abramovich era. 

But the underlying metrics suggest Pochettino and his players must keep calm and carry on. 

'We have a young squad, with very talented players that need time to perform. For sure we have one of the best squads, but we need time,' he said back in September.

Draws against Arsenal, Liverpool, and Man City showed flashes of what they can be - now Pochettino and his players need to back up the stats and show they can be a force to be reckoned with.