Mikel Arteta’s patient Arsenal rebuild could be the perfect model for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea… but as Saturday’s derby kick-starts a daunting acid test of progress, will the Argentine get the time he needs?
- Chelsea host Arsenal on Saturday evening in an anticipated London derby
- Mauricio Pochettino will hope for the same patience Arsenal showed Arteta
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
The mood over the international break at Chelsea will have been positive for a change. For the first time since March last year, the Blues went into one off the back of a win.
Not just one win, but three on the bounce against Brighton, Fulham and Burnley which suggested a corner has been turned and the Mauricio Pochettino era has lift-off.
There have been plenty of encouraging signs of progress in that trio of victories but sceptics will swiftly point out Chelsea have enjoyed a relatively kind early-season fixture list.
Losses to West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, plus a drab goalless draw at Bournemouth, have left them a lowly 11th in the Premier League season.
The green shoots under Pochettino are about to be exposed to a daunting run of fixtures beginning with Saturday’s home London derby with high-flying Arsenal.
Three consecutive wins have lifted spirits at Chelsea and suggested a corner has been turned
Mauricio Pochettino has plenty on his plate but there have been some encouraging early signs
Chelsea’s progress faces a tough test this Saturday when they entertain London rivals Arsenal, who beat Manchester City in their last match before the latest international break
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After the visit of the Gunners, Chelsea must face Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Manchester United before Christmas.
Lose too many of those games and the Pochettino blueprint at Stamford Bridge may lie in tatters by the time the festive lights are switched on.
But Chelsea only have to take a look at this weekend’s opponents to discover the virtues of patience when it comes to a manager.
It took a long time for things to ignite under Mikel Arteta. Coming in halfway through the Covid-disrupted 2019-20 campaign, Arsenal dropped far too many points and finished eighth, but they did win the FA Cup.
There was very little improvement in 2020-21 – at one point Arsenal lost eight of 12 league games – with another disappointing eighth place finish.
And when Arsenal began the 2021-22 campaign with three consecutive defeats there were widespread calls for Arteta to be sacked. Had he been in charge at the more trigger-happy Chelsea, he almost certainly would have been.
They rallied to a fifth-place finish but even that improvement on paper was sullied by Tottenham overtaking them in the race for Champions League football.
Fortunately for Arteta, by that stage he’d moulded the team sufficiently in his own image and there were enough positive indicators for him to remain in his job.
There were times during his first couple of seasons when Arteta was under serious pressure
But their victory over Manchester City last time out showed just how far Arsenal have come
Watching brief
CHELSEA vs ARSENAL
Premier League; Saturday 5.30pm UK
Stamford Bridge
Live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR
That faith then paid off spectacularly as they pushed Manchester City hard in last season’s title race, before ultimately falling away in the closing weeks as the pressure intensified.
An unbeaten start in the league, which puts Arsenal joint-top on 20 points with with north London rivals Tottenham, suggests another tilt at the title.
In that time, Chelsea have got through Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, with Lampard even coming back for a temporary stint, and have now placed their faith in Pochettino.
However tough things get this winter, there is a moral from Arsenal’s experiences to just trust the process.
After all, Pochettino inherited a chaotic situation when he arrived over the summer, not least handling the bloated squad that had caused Potter headaches in training on a daily basis.
An awful lot of deadwood had to be shifted out and lots of big money arrivals integrated but all the signs are Pochettino, one of football’s most likeable characters, has quickly created better vibes.
Pochettino will have been able to work with most of his squad despite international call-ups
Raheem Sterling was impressive in the win over Burnley and is enjoying his football again
Nicolas Jackson has also started scoring in a further encouraging sign for the Blues
Chelsea’s daunting run
Saturday Arsenal (H)
October 28 Brentford (H)
November 1 Blackburn Rovers (H)
Carabao Cup round four
November 6 Tottenham Hotspur (A)
November 12 Manchester City (H)
November 25 Newcastle United (A)
December 2 Brighton (H)
December 6 Manchester United (A)
With a good chunk of his squad not called up for international duty, the past few days have been a vital opportunity to work through his methods on the training ground and keep the momentum going.
Despite some negative results, Pochettino has immediately made Chelsea more watertight at the back. They have conceded just 0.88 goals per 90 minutes in league action, the third-best record in the division.
That is a reduction from 1.24 last season and could be the bedrock of a decent season if it continues. ‘You need to build the house from the foundations,’ said Pochettino recently.
His choice of Robert Sanchez as No 1 raised eyebrows but he’s kept three league clean sheets, centre back Axel Disasi has quickly gained his manager’s trust while Levi Colwill’s versatility is a major plus.
Reece James and Benoit Badiashile will hopefully be back in contention soon after injuries to boost Pochettino’s options further but the side finally looks settled.
The wins over Fulham and Burnley suggested a bit more life in attack as well. Raheem Sterling appears to be enjoying his football again, with three goals so far this season, and will be influential going forward.
Nicolas Jackson was on target in the Brighton and Burnley wins as he adapts to English football following his £32m transfer in the summer.
Enzo Fernandez is growing in influence but Chelsea will want to see more goals and assists
Enzo Fernandez also has Pochettino’s trust but the manager will hoping the Argentine World Cup winner can start supplying a few goals and assists from midfield as he is more than capable of doing.
Chelsea should look at Arsenal as an example of a successful rebuild – the Gunners allowed Arteta the time and resources to shape the team and are reaping the rewards.
Saturday night will be a great insight into how far both have progressed and how much further they still have to go.
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