Mauricio Pochettino’s embargoed press conference quotes arrived with some big claims.
He was saying that his Chelsea team “should be fourth,” according to data.
He didn’t specify what data exactly. xG difference? Even by that metric we’re only fifth. Or something we don’t know about that he and his team use Either way, it’s a pretty weak boast to say you should be anything in sport. If you miss the chances and give away soft goals, that’s your performance. You get the points you deserve, by and large.
“We know really well what we’re doing. That’s why I laugh. I don’t take [criticism] personally. If you look at all the data, we should be in fourth position in the table. But for different reasons, we’re not there…”
The Chelsea coach was once again being forced to convince journalists that he and his side have the belief that they are heading in the right direction. Ultimately, it’s only his results on the pitch, starting later today, which will decide that in the fans’ mind, and in the articles coming out every day.
We’re all waiting for things to click, 9 months later.
