Sterling looks back to his best under Pochettino
And if the subsequent period includes the failure of Romelu Lukaku’s return, a host of Timo Werner misses and an inability to work out what a Kai Havertz was or what to do with one, their recent return feels more remarkable because of the continued absence of a clinical striker.
After spending £1bn in the Todd Boehly era, the only real candidate for that title was a declining Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Pochettino has been impeded by the absence of Christopher Nkunku who, if scarcely the archetypal penalty-box poacher, at least scored 58 times in his last two seasons with RB Leipzig. It should be uncontroversial to suggest that Chelsea would have more goals but for his knee injury.
They have had the chances: a tally of 21 goals is an underperformance of the third-highest xG in the division but also a product of Nicolas Jackson’s misses. Even when the Senegalese scored three against Spurs, Pochettino thought he could have had six.
And if, in different ways, the win over Tottenham and the draw with City had freakish elements, it is worth bearing in mind that Pochettino’s team also struck twice against Arsenal, once, and with the potential for more, against Liverpool. It is a separate issue that they have found it harder to score against Nottingham Forest and Brentford but, with 11 goals against the current top four, Chelsea have shown an ability to trouble the finest sides.
Jackson has responded to criticism with four goals in his last two
It reflects the pace in their side, but also Pochettino’s bolder ethos. It may separate him from his recent predecessors: Tuchel has had buccaneering sides elsewhere but was more cautious at Stamford Bridge, Sarri and Lampard had attacking ideas that were perhaps never fully implemented and Potter had a bland brand of nothingness.
If it didn’t help that Chelsea had the third lowest chance conversion rate last season – another product of their strange reluctance to buy finishers – they ended up with 56 fewer goals than City. On Sunday, they scored as many.
While they have still been wasteful over the campaign, and there are grounds to look for an upgrade on Jackson, in his speed, in the rejuvenation of Raheem Sterling, in the ever-increasing influence of Cole Palmer, there is at least an excitement Chelsea lacked last year. After incoherent displays of ambition in the transfer market, there is finally a strategy to score against the best on the pitch.
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