Peter Crouch gives honest Mauricio Pochettino verdict as 'ridiculous' Chelsea point made

Former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch says it’s not fair to solely blame Mauricio Pochettino for Chelsea’s current struggles.

The Blues are mid-table in the Premier League at the halfway stage for the second season in a row, suffering more defeats (eight) in the league so far than they have managed wins (six). Their points total of 22 after 18 games is the same as AFC Bournemouth and Wolves, who beat them 2-1 at Molineux on Christmas Eve.

That’s despite almost £1billion of investment in the playing squad from Todd Boehly since he became the club’s owner 18 months ago, with high profile, nine-figure signings arriving like Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106million and Moises Caicedo for £115million from Brighton.

A lot of that spending predates Pochettino's arrival as manager, but the Argentine is still the man who has been entrusted with trying to build a successful team from a huge squad of players and he is finding it difficult so far. Despite guiding the Blues to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, Chelsea have been massively underperforming in the Premier League.

That’s why there have been murmurings of discontent with how Chelsea’s season has been going, though Crouch says any blame landing solely at Pochettino's feet is misdirected.

Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, the former forward said: «I don’t think it's entirely his [Pochettino's] fault, I look at the managers they have had in recent years, even [Graham] Potter, and it feels like a lot of turmoil is going on behind the scenes. I don’t think you can really judge him on what is going on at the minute.

Chelsea news and transfers LIVE — Crystal Palace game, Enzo Fernandez injury latest

Mauricio Pochettino sent warning ahead of Chelsea vs Crystal