MAURICIO POCHETTINO has been warned that his Chelsea stars are “learning how to walk again”, with many “still scarred from last season”.
The Blues have already spent a whopping £1billion under Todd Boehly following his 2022 takeover.
But they have little to show for it after already working their way through FOUR game-day managers.
Fans are hoping fifth time’s the charm with ex-Tottenham gaffer Pochettino.
Yet despite a promising pre-season, Chelsea have won just four of their 13 league games under the Argentine.
They currently sit 10th in the table, just two places above last season’s finish.
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And big-money signings such as Enzo Fernandez have struggled to get going in a new-look system.
Chelsea are now preparing to dip into the market once again for reinforcements.
They will also soon be boosted by the returns of Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia, with both players yet to make a competitive appearance.
And former Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit reckons his old side are slowly but surely on the right track.
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Even so, he has warned fans and Pochettino that it will still take a long time for things to properly click.
That’s because many players in the current squad were part of last term’s disastrous project.
And they are still shrugging off the disappointment that came under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard.
Petit told Lord Ping: “I think that Chelsea are looking better than last season and, under Pochettino, they are gradually improving. Some individual players have performed well this season, Raheem Sterling for example.
“I think that this team is still scarred from what happened to them last season. It will take time to see the best of Chelsea as a team.
“There are so many new players that have joined the club and I think a lot of these players have not performed at their best level since they signed (for the club).
“I think in the big games this season, they have shown character. This is not the best Chelsea team that we have seen – they can improve much more – they are starting from a position of recovery.
“They are learning how to walk again after a bruising period last season.
“I’m pretty sure that we will see a better Chelsea team after January. I was not surprised by the result against Newcastle, they still have a lot of things to sort out, but they are on the right track.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk