Mauricio Pochettino has called for his side to find ‘the right balance’ in their final games of the season.
Chelsea had a mixed March, securing morale-boosting wins over Newcastle and Manchester United, but being held to disappointing draws with relegation favourites Burnley and Sheffield United.
Last month rather summed up the Blues’ season, which has seen them languish in mid-table for a second straight campaign, showing no huge improvement on their 12th place finish last term.
The addition of summer signing Cole Palmer has been a huge positive, with the former Manchester City youngster scoring 16 goals and providing nine assists in the Premier League alone.
Now, Pochettino wants his side to show consistency, admitting his young group lacks ‘maturity’, as they aim to finish as high as possible in his first season in charge.
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash against Everton on Monday night – LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on talkSPORT – Pochettino said: “In the same way we concede, we score. In the past we struggled to score goals but now we are scoring.
“It’s about getting the right balance between the two phases. That is the normal process and normal balance when the team is not mature enough, you can suffer in these type of situations.”
Chelsea are now unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions since their 1-0 extra-time defeat in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool.
They’ have fired in 20 goals in that time, but have also conceded two or more goals in each fixture, letting in 15 across those seven matches.
“I think in the last seven or eight games, we didn’t lose in the Premier League,” Pochettino said, addressing his side’s defensive record. “The most important thing is to win games.
“Afterwards we want a clean sheet and not to concede, but at the moment it’s about winning games, we want three points.
“I don’t want to concede chances or goals, but it doesn’t work like this. If we are only keeping to keep clean sheets, maybe we need to play with ten defensive players.
“But Chelsea, in my opinion, is about to go forward, to create chances and score goals.”
A win on Monday night against the Toffees will keep them chasing down a European spot, with the Blues currently ninth – four points off seventh-place West Ham.
They are also prepping for their highly-anticipated FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City the following weekend.
Tune into talkSPORT for LIVE and EXCLUSIVE Premier League commentary of Chelsea vs Everton – Monday April 15, kick-off: 8pm
News Summary:
- Mauricio Pochettino demands more Chelsea consistency having shown quality against Premier League big boys
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