You did not have to read too closely between the lines of what Mauricio Pochettino said yesterday to decipher that he does not think their £1billion squad is good enough.
He made it clear there is a huge gap between where the club is expected to be in the table and the reality of its situation. He said the first four months of the season have been a "reality check" and that the reality for Chelsea is that they are a mid-table team.
After another disjointed display and a 2-0 defeat that leaves the Blues 12th in the Premier League, Pochettino said: "After four or five months and 16 Premier League games, it is [time to] assess. I am not saying we need to ask for more players or less players, but it is [time] to see if the perception matches the reality.
"If expectation is here (high) and reality is here (low), it is because we are missing something in the middle.
This story is from the December 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the December 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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