Mauricio Pochettino’s return to the Premier League last summer was greeted in West London with a cautious sense of optimism. Chelsea had spent a lot of money under new owner Todd Boehly but without any notable progress on the pitch.
Poch came with a reputation in the English top-flight, impressing with both Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur as a progressive coach and, while it has been a frustrating campaign so far, fans at Stamford Bridge still hope he can be the man to bring the good times back to the club.
Chelsea hosted Newcastle in the Monday night fixture and came out on the right side of a five goal show. The win took the Blues within a point of the Magpies and four of West Ham United in seventh place, and with a game in hand on all the teams around them.
With 11 games to play, a European place is still on the cards so the question now is, can Chelsea kick on?
Here at SBOTOP, we’ve been watching attacking midfielder Cole Palmer as Chelsea’s man of the season, and he was in superb form again to inspire the win over Newcastle.
Palmer had a first-half assist when Nicolas Jackson cleverly flicked in his goal-bound shot, and then he scored with a clinical shot on 57 minutes. This was his fifth goal-and-assist combination of the season and his 11th league goal, and the 21-year-old is surely becoming a shoo-in for England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Chelsea have been unlucky with injuries this season with key players Ben Chilwell, Reece James, and Christopher Nkunku out for long periods. But Chilwell and Nkunku have been back in the frame recently, and the Blues are set up for a fast finish to the campaign.
Pochettino has already led Chelsea to the Carabao Cup final and they are in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a winnable game against Championship leaders Leicester City, and then his aim is to deliver European football.
Boehly will no doubt look to strengthen again in the summer, subject to Financial Fair Play regulations, and the Blues have been linked with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who is seen as a natural replacement for Raheem Sterling.
The 21-year-old Spaniard is having a superb campaign, scoring six goals and making 12 assists as Bilbao aim for a top four finish in La Liga.
The Blues will have competition for Willliams’ signature, with Premier League leaders Arsenal also monitoring the young star, who has a £43 million release clause in his contract.
City watching Newcastle star closely
In other Premier League 2024 news, title favourites Manchester City are on the hunt for a midfielder, with the future of Bernardo Silva yet to be resolved.
And Newcastle United’s midfield ace Bruno Guimaraes is on the Sky Blues’ radar. The highly-rated 26-year-old is loved by Newcastle fans, but manager Eddie Howe will need to offload some big earners and bring some money in before he can strengthen his own squad in the summer.
Alongside striker Alexander Isak, Guimaraes is the Magpies’ most valuable asset, and the Sky Blues are said to be big admirers of the attacking midfielder. He has the star quality needed at the Etihad and a steely side to his game, and it will be difficult for Newcastle to keep hold of him if Guardiola comes calling.
But City never leave anything to chance, and they are also keeping tabs on West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta and Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz.
In the meantime, the 2023 treble winners are trying to repeat their successes of last season, and they are still in the FA Cup and Champions League at the quarter-final stage in each.
With only a single point separating the top three, the title race is the most exciting in recent history. But after drawing away to Liverpool last week and with a match against Arsenal on the horizon, the latest Premier League 2024 betting odds are still right behind the Sky Blues.
It promises to be a thrilling end to the campaign, not least because Jurgen Klopp is set to leave Liverpool in May. We have a great two months of football ahead, so don’t take your eyes off it.
Elsewhere, there will be emotional scenes at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night when Bournemouth replay their game against Luton Town.
The match was abandoned when Hatters skipper Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch but, gladly, he’s made a full recovery and will be at the ground to cheer on his teammates at the rescheduled fixture on Wednesday.
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