Arsenal's 5-0 thumping of Chelsea at the Emirates on Tuesday was a stark reminder of what this billion-pound team has become under the stewardship of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Nothing more than a mid-table Premier League side. Bewildered, leaky and wasteful in the absence of Cole Palmer, who has undeniably been Chelsea's sole shining light this season, the Blues were made to look distinctly average by Mikel Arteta's title-chasing machine as they slipped down to ninth in the table, closer to the relegation zone than third place in terms of points. Chelsea fans, who furiously left the Emirates en masse on Tuesday night, are fully aware that success doesn't happen overnight. They've heard countless times the process-signalling proverb of 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. But after a second season of underperformance, and a successive mid-table finish threatening, many disgruntled and crestfallen supporters have simply had enough. The job Mauricio Pochettino was faced with upon arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer was never going to be easy. Inheriting an excessive array of expensive, young stars and taking over after three managerial exits the previous campaign, the Argentine was given a weak foundation from the outset. And there has been some progress, however small, during the manager's debut season. So, should the Chelsea board back or sack Pochettino? Mail Sport takes a look at the arguments for and against as the Blues head for another seismic summer at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were thumped 5-0 by their London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night The heavy defeat put more scrutiny on Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the summer Todd Boehly and the Chelsea board have a huge decision to make over Pochettino's future BACK - Gradual improvements There may still be little to celebrate at Stamford Bridge after another below-par season, but Pochettino has at least put Chelsea back on the road to success. If the Blues were more clinical in the final third - both defensively and offensively - they would have likely beaten Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, defeated Man City in the FA Cup semi-final and be on course for a European return next season. Liverpool's Carabao Cup triumph - which sparked Gary Neville's 'billion-pound bottle-jobs' comment of Chelsea - came about after the Blues switched off in the dying moments of extra time and squandered a catalogue of chances back in February. Wastefulness was Chelsea's biggest vice again at Wembley last weekend, with summer arrival Nicolas Jackson the primary culprit for spurning a hatful of glorious opportunities during their late 1-0 defeat by Manchester City. And finally, according to OPTA statistics comparing actual and expected league position when Chelsea were 11th back in March, it was discovered that the Blues should be sixth behind Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle. Other than relegation-threatened Burnley, Chelsea have played the youngest Premier League side this season at an average age of 24.3 against Crystal Palace back in December. Injured forward Christopher Nkunku was the oldest player at 26 during the club's 2-1 win. Although results are everything in football, the underlying statistics and youthful potential of Chelsea's squad suggests Pochettino is just a few tweaks away from finding the right formula. Despite the ups and downs this season, Pochettino's side are playing an attractive brand of football, creating plenty of chances - and reached the Carabao Cup final back in February Chelsea have a very young team and will need to keep faith in the long term vision to improve SACK - Leaky style of play Chelsea was synonymous with strength, toughness and brawn during the Roman Abramovich days, with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte steering the Blues to multiple titles with defence-first strategies. While it is clear that the Boehly-led regime is eager to mirror the attacking styles of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in pursuit of silverware, the importance of a solid defence has never lost its value, especially over the relentless length of a Premier league season. Chelsea 5-0 hammering at the Emirates marked a club record for Premier League goals conceded in a single season - 57 to date - overtaking the 55 they let during the 1994-95 and 1996-97 campaigns. Although the Blues were a disaster in attack last season, the experience of defensive-minded players like N'Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta meant that Chelsea conceded more than ten goals fewer last season. Pochettino has no doubt had injury issues in defence this term, with Reece James and Ben Chilwell continually suffering setbacks, but the significant majority of out-and-out defenders have been readily available for the Argentine and failed to produce consistently. How much of this is down to the players and how much blame should be pointed at Pochettino is up for debate, but, by trading pragmatism in for expansive football, the manager has Chelsea conceding more goals than ever before. Chelsea have now conceded 57 goals in the Premier League - the most they have ever let in Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo were run ragged by the Gunners midfield on Tuesday BACK - Risking a player mutiny Mail Sport's KIERAN GILL reported on Wednesday night that Chelsea will risk a dressing room mutiny if Pochettino is forced out the door this summer. Sources close to Chelsea's players strongly insisted that the squad remains fully behind Pochettino ahead of the summer, despite many fans calling for him to be sacked. The board, who are set to stage a summer review of Chelsea's short and long term future at the end of the season, will certainly consider the squad's attachment to Pochettino before making a decision, given that he has persistently backed his players with the media during a turbulent debut season. There are likely a few players keen for a change at Stamford Bridge. Thiago Silva, whose wife again appeared to post a cryptic dig at Pochettino on social media after the Brazilian was benched during Arsenal's 5-0 win on Tuesday. It seems likely the 39-year-old centre-half will leave Stamford Bridge regardless of Pochettino's future. But the majority, as Mail Sport understand, are keen for the Argentine to stay and his exit could spark a negative reaction from the players, who need confidence, belief and a consistent environment to reach their full potential. Axing Pochettino could rupture that development and see progress falter once again. Chelsea could risk dressing room backlash if the club sacks Mauricio Pochettino this summer SACK - Risking a fan mutiny With every bitter defeat, fans are growing increasingly sceptical that Pochettino is the right man to return the club to their former glories. And sometimes, a change is what's needed to get the supporters back on side. Several fans will sternly argue that Pochettino has achieved no better than Graham Potter with an even more expensive squad, given that Chelsea have had no European football to contend with this season. And, perhaps most importantly, these supporters have grown accustomed to a ruthless hire-and-fire strategy during the Abramovich era. Boehly and Co know that the club's lavish, scattergun approach in the transfer market has come under incredible scrutiny and will have fans questioning whether they are the right owners to kick the club on. With droves of Chelsea fans wanting Pochettino out, the board will be wary that keeping the manager could lead to supporters becoming disillusioned by the vision and impatient in terms of the process. They will be desperate to avoid a mutiny similar to the one Manchester United have suffered during the Glazer reign. Chelsea supporters are swiftly losing patience over the vision and direction of the team Golden Boot contender Cole Palmer has been one of the only shining lights for fans this season BACK - Lack of options available One of the strongest arguments to keeping Pochettino at the moment is the dearth of elite coaches available in world football. Unless the Blues opt for a manager who has already walked the corridors at Stamford Bridge - such as Mourinho and Tuchel who are set to be available this summer - there really aren't too many high-profile coaches out there. Liverpool, who at this stage have a bigger draw than Chelsea, are on the cusp of securing a deal with Feyenoord's Arne Slot in the wake of Jurgen Klopp's exit, and the 45-year-old has only won two major honours during his managerial career to date. He could do very well at Anfield, but Reds fans know he isn't arriving with the pedigree of a Klopp or Rafa Benitez. Chelsea could target a mid-table Premier League manager such as Brentford's Thomas Frank or Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi, but that strategy was far from successful with Graham Potter when he joined from the Seagulls back in 2022. Chelsea could opt for a Jose Mourinho reunion - but it cause more problems than it solves Liverpool look set to land Arne Slot (above) this summer following Jurgen Klopp's departure If a serial winner at the prime of his managerial career was on the market, Chelsea would be more tempted to shake things up - sacking Pochettino and hiring a new coach to inspire the fans and kick the players into gear. But right now, there's little to no guarantee that axing Pochettino will bring about positive change. A new appointment could take the wheels off once again and throw Chelsea back into the chaotic chopping and changing of last season. SACK - Signings have (generally) underwhelmed Chelsea's signings in 2023-24 Moises Caicedo - £115m Romeo Lavia - £58m Cole Palmer - £42.5m Axel Disasi - £38.7m Nicolas Jackson - £32m Robert Sanchez - £25m Lesley Ugochukwu - £23m Deivid Washington - £17m Angelo - £15m Djorde Petrovic - £14m Diego Moreira - £8.5m Christopher Nkunku - £53m (agreed before Pochettino's arrival) Advertisement Yes, Chelsea are a young squad and need time to grow. But it's hard to speak about Pochettino's players without breaking down just how much it cost to assemble. Palmer's £42.5million signing from Manchester City took Chelsea's transfer bill under Boehly and Clearlake Capital to £1billion and beyond and, frankly, the team as a whole is still underperforming significantly. Unlike several managers up and down the country, Pochettino cannot claim that he hasn't been backed, with 12 new additions arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer. Among them, Moises Caicedo has been underwhelming since his record £115m move from Brighton, Romeo Lavia joined from Southampton for £58m and has played just one match due to injury and £32m striker Nicolas Jackson has consistently squandered chances in front of goal. While some will argue that the new additions are solely down to the club, Pochettino appeared to confirm that he played a key role in the summer transfer window, saying in December: 'It's obvious that the head coach, coach or manager is crazy to think he won't be involved in any decisions for the future in my area. 'Of course, we will share with the owners, the sporting director and I cannot conceive the idea of not being involved.' Summer signing Nicolas Jackson has squandered a catalogue of chances in recent weeks Meanwhile, Kai Havertz, who left Chelsea last summer, netted a brace for title hopefuls Arsenal Aside from Palmer, who has been nothing short of sensational for Chelsea this year and saved the Blues from another extremely embarrassing season, Pochettino's signings have failed to live up to expectation. While the transfer failures do not entirely fall at his door, the manager must take a sizeable chunk of the responsibility. It's unlikely another underwhelming summer of transfers will be tolerated by the Chelsea chiefs.
