Mauricio Pochettino Chelsea sack truth is obvious after Arsenal humiliation as new reality exposed

There are two ways of looking at Chelsea's managerial position and how it has played out: 1) They have been justified in sticking with Mauricio Pochettino, and 2) they have missed the trick in not acting quicker to dismiss him or move on at the end of the season.

On the one hand,a run of over two months (eight games) unbeaten in the Premier League had left the club well in the mix to qualify for European football next season. In 2024, they are seventh in the table but having played one less than Tottenham (two points above them), two less than Newcastle — who are level with Spurs — and three fewer than Aston Villa just five ahead.

Heading into the clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, only Villa, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City had a better record in the past 12 matches. In the same period, Pochettino steered Chelsea into the FA Cup semi-final. This was their best domestic run of league results since October-December 2021 under Thomas Tuchel when they were competing at the top of the table.

The last time they eclipsed eight league games without defeat was in Tuchel's first two months in charge. That, for the record, included draws to Wolves and Southampton, ending with a 5-2 demolition at the hands of West Brom, for perspective.

The form of Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Cole Palmer, and more recently Nicolas Jackson -save for Saturday's finishing struggles — has been immensely promising in recent times and in general Chelsea have shown signs of starting to click and gel eight months into the Pochettino era. For many this is reason enough to stand by a head coach after years of hasty sackings.

However, there is mitigation. Draws to Brentford, ten-man Burnley, and Sheffield United still mare the good recent run.