Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea plan is working, the truth behind the numbers and Arsenal surprise

After what was a really encouraging pre-season tour of the United States, the feel-good factor at Stamford Bridge had returned. It had been a long time coming but Mauricio Pochettino had everyone involved with the club excited yet again ahead of his debut season as head coach of the Blues.

But such is the nature of modern football, just five matches into the new Premier League season, 'Pochettino out' was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the draw with Bournemouth on Sunday. Of course, it would not have been solely Chelsea supporters posting such rubbish. Rival football fans will have been adding fuel to the fire to paint an untrue picture.

Pochettino's predecessor,Graham Potter, called the Chelsea job as «the hardest in football» last season — and so it proved to be for the 48-year-old, who is now unemployed after being let go by the club after less than seven months in charge. The early days of Pochettino's tenure suggest nothing has changed in that regard.

Of course, Chelsea once again spent an absurd amount of money in the summer transfer window; bringing the club's spending to over £1billion on new players since Todd Boehly took over last year. That adds external, as well as internal pressure to what happens on the pitch.

Boehly has invested an awful lot in ensuring the club have the best players around to compete at the top. But the reality is that the American billionaire has bought essentially a new squad of really young and inexperienced players, who all need time to realise their full potential. It is a long-term vision without too much thought for the Blues' short-term ambitions.

It makes it difficult for Pochettino to try and get Chelsea competing once again this season. So much change, essentially