Better, but jury is still out on Poch

GOOD days have been few and far between at Chelsea for Mauricio Pochettino, but this was one of the better ones. Not perfect, not especially pretty, but better.

And by better we mean functional. By better, we mean they got a job done, which in a season of stumbles is the sort of progress that should not be sniffed at.

A turning point? Let’s not push it — this was Sheffield United at home. And this is Chelsea, who have made a habit of colliding with walls each time they threaten to jog.

But a win is a win and this one was only the second in six games for Pochettino, who again could view Cole Palmer as pivotal.

With a goal and an assist for Nicolas Jackson, it was the 21-yearold who reshaped this match from an exercise in frustration to a source of confidence.

‘I’m happy because the players deserved the win,’ said Pochettino. ‘They worked really well during the week. They reacted. It helps us to be more confident but at the same time we need to be alive. We need to change if we want to improve. But with this victory we have a completely different feeling. It is important for confidence.’

For 45 minutes it had been a real trudge — Chelsea had masses of possession, but the problem was they had no idea what to do with it. Within those difficulties was the question of why Pochettino had dropped Enzo Fernandez, who almost a year ago to the day had won the World Cup with Argentina. Facing a low block, he would have been useful here, but instead he was one of five changes to the team beaten by Everton with little obvious upside.

If there was a positive it was that Conor Gallagher, forever linked with moves away, was pressing well and providing some sparkle in the middle.

As for United, they were limited, though had sporadic moments of promise when targeting Chelsea’s left-hand side.

If anything, those attacks might have proved their downfall, as, emboldened, they opened up after the break. ‘We were naive,’ said Blades boss Chris Wilder, and that was about right.

To Pochettino’s credit, there were also some subtle tweaks on his part, with the positioning of Raheem Sterling and Palmer altered for a more concerted attack up the middle. Both were key to the first goal, with Palmer playing to Sterling, who sucked in Andre Brooks before beating him in a five-yard sprint from a standing start. Sterling duly pulled back to Palmer to finish a quality move.

A second quickly followed and it was more valuable than beautiful. Sterling showed bravery in sticking his head on a bouncing ball and bundling through a crowd and from those scruffy beginnings Palmer was able to square to Jackson for a tap-in.

‘We had a mad 15 minutes at the start of the second half which can happen with a young team,’ said Wilder. ‘They have players all over the pitch that can hurt you but I could sense there was something for us.’