Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea are "not mature enough" to compete every three days.
Chelsea failed to build on Thursday's momentous stoppage-time comeback win over Manchester United at Sheffield United as Oli McBurnie scored late to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane.
Pochettino's side, who missed the chance to go three points off sixth-placed United, have now dropped points against the Premier League's two bottom teams in the space of three games.
Asked to explain the draws against Sheffield United and Burnley, Pochettino said: "It is about being able to compete. For different reasons we are struggling to compete in these type of games [against lesser teams]."
Pochettino refused to accept fatigue as an excuse for Chelsea's failure to claim their first back-to-back league wins of 2024, adding: "Watching football at 52 years old, you identify very quick when the team is ready to compete.
"Maybe [it is] because this group is not mature enough to compete in games every three days."
Chelsea have spent more than £1bn in four transfer windows since being taken over by Clearlake Capital, with reports claiming their latest splurge was restricted only to players 25 and under as part of a wider strategy.
That has left Pochettino, the third permanent manager under this ownership, with one of the youngest squads in Europe. He says this explains the stop-start form and called for further investment this summer to address their issues.
"It is a new team with profiles in the squad that we are learning," said the Chelsea boss. "That is why the process to build a team always takes time. It is not a magic thing [clicks fingers].
"When we talk about projects, we talk about three or five years. It is a normal process but we are working
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