Chelsea ending woeful 2023 with Pochettino facing more questions than answers

In the analysis of yet another underwhelming Chelsea result and performance at Wolves on Christmas Eve, one statistic was particularly eye-catching.

In 2023, no Premier League side has lost more than Chelsea's 19 matches in the top flight. Indeed, only three teams in Europe's top five leagues - Almeria, Werder Bremen and Empoli - can beat that number.

But unlike Chelsea, that trio are not five-time Premier League winners and have not spent more than £1bn on new players in the past three transfer windows.

For Chelsea to find themselves in this position, closer to the relegation zone than the top four, is remarkable. Mauricio Pochettino projects positivity but can he genuinely return Chelsea to Europe, or is mid-table the Blues' new reality?

Any analysis of Chelsea's struggles inevitably has to start in attack. The Blues have missed 36 of their 57 big chances in the Premier League this season - the worst record in the league.

What's more, only Manchester United have a larger negative differential between their expected goals and goals scored than Chelsea's -6.8.

The need for a proven No 9 is obvious yet, despite their record outlay in the transfer market, Chelsea's strikers are Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja.

Until April, Jackson had scored two top-flight goals in his entire career. Broja has started seven games for Chelsea.

The fact the club have spent so much money yet failed to properly address the most important area of the pitch is confounding. As Jamie Redknapp said, it's hard to take them seriously until they rectify their issues at No 9.

Chelsea's pivot towards investing in youth has been clear, with just three of the 28 players they have signed since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali's takeover aged over 25 when they