Chelsea outperform Arsenal and Tottenham in one key area with promising Mauricio Pochettino plan

While Chelsea have struggled to climb the Premier League table so far this season, one statistic in particular proves why Mauricio Pochettino is the right man for the job at Stamford Bridge. The Blues currently sit in the bottom half of the English top-flight with five points in just as many games.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Tottenham currently share second place with Liverpool on 13 points – just two behind Manchester City, who have enjoyed a flawless start to the campaign. The clubs occupying the top-four spots have had no issue keeping it tight at the back, and neither have Chelsea.

But what has separated the west Londoners from the City, Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal is their misfortune – or simply inability – at the other end of the pitch. In fact, the current Premier League top-four have all done better than expected in the final third, over-performing their respective expected goals (xG) – although some more so than others.

As for Chelsea, they've significantly underperformed in the xG department despite having chalked up some of the most clear-cut chances across Europe's top-five leagues. The Blues have managed to score just five goals from an eye-watering 10.2 xG, according to FBref.

Only seven other teams across Europe's top-five leagues have managed better; Barcelona (12.3); Manchester City (12.2); Aston Villa (10.9); Brighton (10.7); Paris Saint-Germain (10.3); Liverpool (10.2); Brentford (10.2). In 12th – four positions below Chelsea – sits Tottenham with an xG of 9.4, meanwhile, Arsenal sit 14th with an xG of 9.3.

The west Londoners' draw with Bournemouth at the weekend was another example of Pochettino coaching his side to a victory, but simply failing to convert their gilt-edged chances. After the game, the