THE BLUE FLAGGING

Apart from goal king Cole... Poch has a Blues side that lacks energy and hunger

- ALAN SMITH

MAURICIO POCHETTINO apologised for the length of his monologue.

But as Chelsea's head coach outlined his many issues with yet another disjointed performance, the Argentine landed upon some harsh "facts" and "reality".

The intention was not to "blame the players" after they twice forfeited a lead against 10-man Burnley.

Instead Pochettino insisted his squad "for sure, 100 percent agreed" with his assessment they lacked both energy and hunger.

In a match that had 36 shots, there was never a sense of control despite Chelsea having an extra man for more than half the game.

One goal up against a team staring relegation in the face, instead of finding a ruthless touch this game became a familiar tale of disorder. For Pochettino (growing frustrated, above) it was not an issue of talent. It was one of application.

"We need to be more like a team, we need to find better communication, we need to be more competitive," he said.