Mauricio Pochettino flew straight to Spain for a three-day break following Chelsea’s third consecutive Premier League victory, but it’s no surprise the Argentinian knows he can’t give it up, even if he’d rather be left alone with his thoughts.
Chelsea have revived their hopes of qualifying for Europe in recent weeks despite losing to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, but Pochettino has plenty to think about in the short term.
Cole Palmer’s penalty was almost enough to secure victory against Fulham, but Chelsea were again in desperate need of a striker and in each of their last three league wins, Pochettino’s side have managed to hold on after panicking in the final stages.
He is waiting to hear news on Christopher Nkunku’s injury and Chelsea’s 10-day break between matches presents the club with the opportunity to consider its options in the transfer market, meaning Pochettino will need to stay close to his phone despite hoping it never rings.
“We need to give the players and the coaching staff some rest because it’s a really busy period at the moment and they need to take a breather. This break is very useful,” said Pochettino.
“I need to go to my family [in Spain] and it would be good to make some changes. I really can’t turn it off while the president is around. I will need to be available 24 hours a day in case the sporting director or team owners contact me with anything. I know that something can always arise in football.
“Honestly, I would prefer the phone not ring. “It’s much better for me if it doesn’t ring.”
There is no clear solution to Chelsea’s striker needs in the January transfer window. Perhaps with profit and sustainability rules in mind, there is no appetite to spend £120m to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli this month, and growing belief that Ivan Toney will finish the season at Brentford.
Taking a risk on a prolific striker in Portugal or the Netherlands is unlikely to yield immediate results; This could lead Chelsea to consider the possibility of finding a short-term loan option from Roberto Firmino or Saudi Arabia. Even Karim Benzema.
Pochettino emphasized that he had not expressed a desire to sign a striker and that his preference for his phone not to ring could indicate Chelsea’s desire not to repeat past mistakes and not be dragged into an inappropriate deal.
A phone call informing him that an offer has been made for Conor Gallagher would certainly not be welcomed. The midfielder hit the post with a great shot with the outside of his foot against Fulham and was hardworking again in midfield.
Gallagher is not the only player facing an uncertain future at Chelsea and a move for a new striker is likely to lead to Armando Broja leaving either permanently or on loan. This isn’t such a bad thing as the Albanian international has struggled to find his best form since returning from injury. He missed an early header from eight yards at the weekend and was eventually replaced by Noni Madueke.
Chelsea and Pochettino need to make a decision on left-back, another area the club is looking to strengthen in the transfer window.
Ben Chilwell returned as a substitute on Saturday, but just as he was largely the case before his injury, the England international featured on the left wing and Levi Colwill played as a makeshift left-back.
Pochettino’s use of Colwill has caused some disappointment inside and outside Stamford Bridge, but the 20-year-old performed well against Fulham as Chelsea kept only their second clean sheet in 14 league games.
With Marc Cucurella recovering from surgery and Ian Maatsen on loan at Borussia Dortmund, will Pochettino opt to stick with Colwill and Chilwell in the near future, or will he and the club sign a specialist left-back and let Colwill do the rest? ? Is the best player of the season vying for a spot on defense? The answer will become clear.
Relaxing with a glass of his favorite Argentinian Malbec, Pochettino will be satisfied and somewhat relieved to see that Chelsea still have plenty to play for when they return from the break. However, they will also be aware that they need to improve themselves in order to finish the season with silverware or a place in Europe.
“[After the break] then we will prepare,” Pochettino said. “We have seven days to prepare for the second leg against Middlesbrough on Tuesday, then against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday and then again in the Premier League on Wednesday. Three matches in three different competitions, but I think they [the players] “They need three days off. They need to revive and they can attack in the second half of the season.”