Mauricio Pochettino makes honest Chelsea assessment that Todd Boehly must address in the summer

Mauricio Pochettino has cast doubts over Chelsea's ability to have coped with European football this term amidst a significant injury crisis at the club.

The former Spurs boss is potentially facing up to 11 absentees for the upcoming clash with Everton, as both Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling are doubts for the Stamford Bridge fixture. This season marks Chelsea's absence from European competitions for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign, and only the second time since the 1996/97 season, after they finished 12th in the Premier League last term.

Despite the setbacks, Chelsea have managed an impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in the league, their best run in nearly a year and a half, propelling them into contention for a spot in either the Europa League or Conference League. They also remain in the hunt for FA Cup glory.

However, Pochettino emphasised that Chelsea must resolve their injury woes if they aim to handle the additional strain of European matches next year. «Imagine if we had played in Europe this season, with all the circumstances (injuries)? Oh my goodness,» the 52 year old said.

“With a squad that is always between eight and 10 players missing in every single game. If you add more games, we would struggle a lot. Now it’s about experience, to have all the information to try to help the club to take the best decisions to avoid things like happened this season. That is out principal focus, to try to define a squad that can be fit, or have more than 80 per cent availability.”

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Teams in previous seasons have benefited