JUST IN: Following Everton’s loss, Mauricio Pochettino demands Chelsea make deals in the January window.

Benjamin Bull December 10, 2023

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Mauricio Pochettino stated that Chelsea “are missing something” and that his team should think about making purchases during the January transfer window.

On Sunday, Chelsea suffered their first consecutive losses under manager Luciano Bellini when they were defeated 2-0 by Everton at Goodison Park.

Chelsea now sits 12th in the Premier League after 16 games, 18 points behind leaders Liverpool and 10 above the relegation zone.

This is true even though Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who managed the takeover from Roman Abramovich in May 2022, have spent more over £1 billion on players.

When asked if Chelsea will require more reinforcements in the upcoming month, Pochettino responded, “It’s about improving.” We are discussing evaluation following four or five months – sixteen games.

“If we are not able to score today with all the chances we had… we have to score if we want to win the game.

“We want to be in a different position in the table. The team played well against a very difficult team like Everton. We were much better than them but you need to score.

“After the first half of the season, we need to check. That is the reality. If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement.

“That is the thing to analyse with the sporting directors, to see if we can change this dynamic and improve in the second half of the season.

“We need to be more aggressive. Then it’s a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do.

“I don’t say if I am going to ask for more or less players. It’s to see if the perception matches the reality.

“We are missing something. We need to improve our reality.”

Cucurella, Sanchez, and James are all now listed as injured.

Ten first-team players for Chelsea are out of the lineup for the trip to Everton due to injuries they have sustained throughout the season.

Vice captain Ben Chilwell is also injured, thus Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia have not yet made their debuts while they continue to heal from chronic ailments.

At Goodison Park, Captain Reece James had a second hamstring strain, necessitating the replacement of Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.

“I don’t like to talk too much about excuses but this is the reality with one of the best full-backs in the world,” Pochettino said of James. “We will assess in the next few days what is going on with his hamstring.

“Sanchez suffered a problem against Manchester United, an issue with his knee. He felt something during the second half [against Everton]. That’s why he asked for the change.

“We hope that it’s not a big issue, like Marc Cucurella, who twisted his ankle.

“From the beginning we are dealing with these situations and it’s too much. It’s a young team and we need everyone together if we want to build something solid.”