Mauricio Pochettino’s fate has yet to be sealed, despite the disappointment of a Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool.
A sixth successive domestic cup defeat for the Blues, albeit spread beyond the Argentine’s tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Perhaps most concerning of all is the possibility that Chelsea’s hopes of securing some form of European football next term may rest, more or less, on how they fare in the FA Cup.
There is, of course, still the prospect of achieving qualification by climbing the ladder in the Premier League table. A draw against Brentford, however, now leaves the Londoners six points shy of West Ham in the Europa Conference spot. Higher up in the table, Manchester United have an eight-point buffer in sixth.
Chelsea’s hierarchy is also aware of mitigating factors behind the club’s variable form. This includes the myriad injuries that have afflicted Pochettino’s squad, not to mention the lack of a quality striker.
That said, the expectation was that some serious improvement in performances would be seen in the period between December and February.
Could Chelsea look in a different direction?
Regardless, the aforementioned factors mean that decision-makers at Stamford Bridge have yet to begin concrete talks with alternative managerial candidates. The hope is that there will be some serious improvement witnessed in the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign.
In the meantime, the Blues are understood to be monitoring coaches across Europe. One name they are thought to appreciate is that of Inter Milan’s 47-year-old manager Simone Inzaghi.
If Pochettino can secure European qualification for the next campaign, however, his seat at the table will be safe.