Pochettino claims 'data' shows Chelsea should be fourth in the Premier League

Mauricio Pochettino has bizarrely claimed 'data' shows Chelsea should be fourth in the Premier League this season, but a closer look at the statistics tell a completely different story.

The Argentinian was hailed as the coach to bleed through Chelsea's talented youngsters and work with experienced starts to help deliver success that has been absent under the reign of co-owner Todd Boehly.

However, things haven't worked out that way with Chelsea languishing in 11th in the Premier League standings and 17-points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Pochettino's claim about Chelsea's Premier League position comes at a time when fans have fumed over 'irreversible toxicity' at the club due to the poor results and performances.

Delivering his statement of defiance, Pochettino said: 'If you look at all the data, in the table we should be in fourth position. But for different reasons, we are not there.

'What the data means is that we are in a good way. In which area do we need to improve? It's things [that will come] with time.

'We need to compete better, small details. You can only get this with experience with time playing together.

'It's easy to find the data when you want to kill someone. But when the data is good and reflects the team is doing well but for different reasons we're not getting the results we deserve, [we should] trust in the process,' he added.

While his pleas about Chelsea's Premier League ranking might be an attempt to relieve any pressure from the board members scrutinising Pochettino's position, the data actually reveals a different narrative.

The five-time Premier League winners fail to be in the top 10 sides for shots both including and excluding blocks, while a host of other teams also boast better records for