Chelsea’s stance on sacking Pochettino is obvious as ‘meeting already planned’

Pochettino reviews Chelsea’s defeat at Everton

Chelsea bosses have reportedly scheduled a meeting with manager Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season, suggesting that the Argentine is safe from the sack despite his side’s disappointing form. The Blues are stuck in the bottom half of the table after winning only five out of 16 Premier League games under their new head coach.

Many fans held out hope of a dramatic turnaround after watching Graham Potter, and later Frank Lampard, splutter to a 12th-place finish last campaign. But the same problems persist, and Chelsea under Pochettino are in the very same position approaching the halfway point of the season.

However, having dispensed with a number of big-name bosses in recent years, the Blues are believed to be intent on giving Pochettino a full year before coming to a final decision on whether to part company.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the Chelsea boss and his superiors agreed from the start that a two-way appraisal meeting would take place at the end of the campaign.

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A succession of managers have come and gone without finding a recipe for success at Stamford Bridge, and there is currently no indication that co-owner Todd Boehly is planning to cut ties with Pochettino.

The former Tottenham boss even laid down a gauntlet to the Chelsea board after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton, calling for more investment in January, despite spending at record levels over the past three transfer windows.

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All hope is not lost for the Blues, who will fancy their chances of picking up points against Sheffield United, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Luton Town before the end of the month, with a number of crucial players due to return from spells on the sidelines.

Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto are among those expected to reach match fitness over the coming weeks, with Ben Chilwell’s comeback pencilled in for just after the New Year. And those preparing to come back into the fold will be keen to answer the prayers of Pochettino, who believes his side have suffered a drop in standards since the start of the season.

“Every single player knows what we expect from them,” he said ahead of the Everton tie. “Another thing is to deliver the job, another thing is to perform. I think we need to improve with time.

“For different reasons, for different circumstances we are not getting what we want. I think we deserved much more from the beginning of the season. [In] the last few weeks we dropped our performance. I am fair and realistic in our assessment.”

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