“Do Your F**king Job” –John Obi Mikel Slams Mauricio Pochettino & Co. Over ‘Identity’ Crisis at Chelsea

The 2-0 loss against Everton meant Chelsea sat just 10 points above the relegation zone. Not a good look for a club that spent over $450 million in the summer transfer window. Hence, questions are rightly being asked of Mauricio Pochettino and Co, who haven’t shown any solutions to the problems yet. Even former stars are asserting that the club is unrecognizable from the Chelsea they knew.

With 19 points in 16 games, it is evident that Chelsea’s ‘scattergun-like signing approach’ hasn’t worked. Having spent over $1 billion in the last 3 transfer windows, Todd Boehly and the upper management will expect nothing short of a strong finish to the season.

Ex-Chelsea veteran slams bossman Mauricio Pochettino

Former club midfielder John Obi Mikel expressed his thoughts on Chelsea’s troubles in ‘The Obi One Podcast.’ Mikel said, “When I look at the team play all throughout the season, we haven’t really seen that much of an identity, an idea of how we want to play moving forward, going forward.” Moreover, he also added that the only game that gave a semblance of the Chelsea standard was the draw against Manchester City. It seems that Mikel can’t see the influence of the Argentine manager in Chelsea’s game despite being in charge for 16 matches.

The former Nigerian star further added that the team can’t take the excuse of being in a rebuilding project. As per him, “There is no time for that. We need to start winning games. Whatever it is, we need to turn it around.”

Additionally, he also doesn’t seem to be a fan of the manager’s laid-back attitude. The former midfielder explained, “I didn’t see him scream not one at the players. Do your f**king job, wake up, and make sure you run around.” Mikel also highlighted one of the major problems at Chelsea. He said that there are not enough leaders on the pitch. He noted that this was a stark contrast from the time of John Terry and Co. It seems the coach might be in favor of using the transfer market to find solutions to the current crisis. However, a former Chelsea star has cautioned him regarding the approach.

Frank Leboeuf’s message to Pochettino

Frank Leboeuf is not in favor of making further signings. Instead, he wants the Argentine tactician to develop the players already at the club. As per Leboeuf, “He (Pochettino) had to take responsibility when he signed, accepting the role and saying okay, I’m going to try to do something with these players.” A valid point considering that the club signed 12 players in Pochettino’s first transfer window.

Read More: 3 Transfer Targets for Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino Looks for More Signings in January

Furthermore, he reiterated the difficulties of integrating too many players into the team. Chelsea is focusing on signing young players without much experience. Such an approach takes time to give results, as per Leboeuf.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right coach for Chelsea? Let us know in the comments below.

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