Former Chelsea defender William Gallas is not impressed with Mauricio Pochettino’s work as manager at Stamford Bridge, saying he is confused by some of this decisions and the team’s unpredictability.
The Blues are sitting ninth in the table, still in contention for a European finish as they are just three points behind West ham in sixth and nine behind in fourth.
Pochettino’s side have won their last three top flight outings and four of their last five in all competitions, so things have picked up of late, but Gallas is not convinced.
The Frenchman wants more consistency from his former club, saying that despite recent wins he has no idea what to expect from the Blues in their next outing.
‘How do I rate Poch’s start to life at Chelsea? To be honest, his management is not really, really good at the moment,’ Gallas told
‘We can see the results. On Saturday, they won against Fulham but we never know if they’re going to win the next game and that’s a problem for Chelsea at the moment, one game they’ll win, the next they will draw or lose and it’s not enough.‌
‘That’s why with Pochettino we’re still expecting more from him and from Chelsea. That’s why the fans are really frustrated with results and how they play.’
‌Gallas says he has been confused by Pochettino’s tactics and team selection, calling out the Argentine’s selection at left-back.
Levi Colwill has played there for much of the season so far, with Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella struggling with injury.
‌Chilwell was back on the bench against Fulham last time out, involved for the first time since September, with Colwill starting, but Gallas didn’t like what he saw.
‘It’s difficult to understand why the players are playing out of position – I don’t get why the manager is doing this,’ he said.
‘If you have a left-back in your squad and he’s available, you have to play him. The club buys players to play on the weekend and you have to put the best players in that position on the weekend on the pitch.‌
‘If your left-back is so-so, you still have to put them in. You can’t put a right-back at left-back or a centre-back there, that’s why Pochettino’s tactics have been difficult to understand.’
Gallas reckons Pochettino might need to be a bit more firm with his group of young players that were thrown together over recent transfer windows as he tries to build a team.
‘Does Poch need to be more brutal in the media? Pochettino is a diplomat,’ said the Frenchman. ‘He tries to have a good relationship with his players and now we know everything changes in football and it’s difficult to find managers who are really strict and honest about their players.‌
‘Poch is afraid to make his players unhappy and even if what he says is right, the players might not accept it and it might appear in the media and make them insecure.‌
‘When you have so many young players in your squad you have to be careful, because if players decide to not play, it can be a problem.’
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