06 February 2024 , 11:04
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Concerns are growing about the attitude of Chelsea's squad, as their season continues to lurch into crisis mode.
The Blues have lost 10 games so far this term, winning just nine, dropping them into the bottom half of the Premier League table. It has been an awful first season in charge for Mauricio Pochettino, who is now coming under pressure of the sack.
But the Argentine has not been helped by the decision to spend massive amounts on young, mostly unproven stars. The lack of senior leaders in Pochettino's squad is now creating issues that are causing increasing concern.
The group are struggling under the weight of a miserable run of results, which reached a nadir with Sunday's humiliating defeat to Wolves. Matheus Cunha scored a hat-trick as the Midlands side claimed a convincing 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
In the wake of that dreadful defeat, the Daily Mail report that Pochettino's side are 'struggling to adapt' to different tactics and patterns of play. The team's morale has also dropped noticeably at the Blues' Cobham training base.
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Driving those concerns is the revelation that players leave the training ground as soon as possible once sessions are finished. It is claimed that the squad 'rarely' stay behind to complete extra work.
As well as struggling to adapt to different tactics, it is reported that there are concerns over the squad's ability to receive analytical information. And certain stars are said to have struggled to accept critical feedback from Pochettino and his coaching staff.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Chelsea sack Mauricio Pochettino? Comment below.
Boss Mauricio Pochettino is coming under increasing pressure (James Baylis/AMA)Pochettino is coming under increasing pressure of being sacked by owner Todd Bohely amid his side's awful form. The Blues are expected to stick by the Argentine for the rest of the season after he took full responsibility for his team's dreadful campaign.
"I am the first one responsible for this situation, and on what we showed today we are not got enough. We didn’t manage the situation properly and of course no-one can be safe. We are all responsible, but also the players," he said after the defeat to Wolves.
"The players need to take responsibility like I do. At the moment we are not matching the history of the club and we need to accept that. We need to be critical but we cannot give up. Of course we are going to keep working really hard to try to change the results.
"If it is not working in this way maybe we need to move on and try to find different solutions. What we can say is we apologise to the fans. The most important thing we can do now is to feel the responsibility.
"To understand the fans is really important and we want to apologise and say sorry. We are disappointed like them but until the end we need to fight all together. Of course we want to take good results in the future and we need to stay all together.
"During the 90 minutes we need to fight all together to get the result and then at the end they will be right to criticise and to be angry if the performance is not good. The fans were supporting until the end, but at the end they are entitled to behave like they feel."