Ahead of the clash with West Ham, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has now just done the famous “rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated” bit. Pochettino has called the stories in the press which claim he will be replaced this summer “stupid rumors.”
Pochettino, whose side is still fighting for a UEFA Europa Conference League slot as they are just two points off seventh place, insists he will see out the whole of his contract.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. May 5, 2pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea Part 1 Chelsea Part 2 West Ham
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea West Ham
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC 59% West Ham United 21% Draw 20%
PL Form, Position: West Ham United DLLWD, 48 pts, 8th Chelsea FC DLWDW, 49 pts, 9th
“We were talking about the judgement at the end of the season, if I feel I am under scrutiny,” Poch said in an interview after beating his long-time former team, Tottenham Hotspur, yesterday.
“That was the question from the people. But it is like [we have] to prove, after all these circumstances and all of this situation, that we deserve to be here next season. I say, “Who is going to judge me?
“I need to judge myself and all the players, and of course with all the circumstances [of the season].
“But I wanted to say that it is enough with these type of rumours. If I have one more year on my contract here, and no one says nothing, [I] suppose that I am going to be here. [That changes] only if we then finish the season and someone says to me, ‘ciao.’
“Because we don’t know at the moment. I suppose I have one more year on my contract and that I am going to be here. But enough about the stupid rumours. You need to ask the club if they want me to keep going or not — not to write things that have no sense.”
Pochettino is the third (actually fourth, if you count the return of Frank Lampard for an interim basis) Chelsea manager since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the team from Roman Abramovich in May 2022. Boehly/Clearlake have spent more than £1 billion ($1.25bn) on new players since they came in, and they still have no trophies to show it.
When it comes to predicting the Chelsea team for Sunday’s London derby, well it kind of picks itself, given all the injuries.
Chelsea FC Starting XI (4-2-3-1) Prediction vs West Ham United
Djorde Petrovic; Alfie Gilchrist, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher; Mykhailo Mudryk, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke; Nicolas Jackson
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.