• Ben Chilwell has not started for Chelsea for nearly a month
• Sánchez, Chalobah and Chukwuemeka also injured

Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was surprised Ben Chilwell started two games for England during the international break, having only recently returned from a knee injury. The defender last started for Chelsea on 2 March against Brentford and since then has played only a few minutes for the club, as a late substitute in the FA Cup against Leicester.

Yet he played the entirety of England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium on Tuesday, three days after completing 67 minutes against Brazil . The Argentinian is no closer to seeing the end of his team’s injury crisis with nine players currently ruled out of Saturday’s meeting with Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

• Club unlikely to be rash but pressure is growing on head coach
• Liverpool also interested in Sporting and Brighton managers

Chelsea’s desire to wait until the end of the season before reviewing Mauricio Pochettino’s position has not stopped the club from identifying Rúben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi as potential replacements for the Argentinian.

Pochettino, who was handed a two-year deal after arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer, faces an uncertain future after a mixed run of results. Supporters turned on the head coach during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford last Saturday and there are doubts over whether the 52-year-old will be in charge next season.

• Chelsea manager needs to ‘be in my place’ regarding transfers
• Reece James returns to light training but will not be rushed back

Mauricio Pochettino refused to comment on whether managers should have more power at Chelsea amid growing questions over Conor Gallagher’s future at the club.

Pochettino said that “I am the coach that needs to be in my place” when asked whether he would try to persuade Gallagher, whose contract expires next year, to stay. The Argentinian, who wants to keep the midfielder, said it was down to the player and Chelsea’s owners, who have handed responsibility for recruitment to the co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

• Manager under pressure after Carabao Cup final defeat
• ‘We need patience to give the possibility to keep going’

Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea’s owners to stay patient and give him time to revive the club’s fortunes.

Pochettino, whose future is uncertain after losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, was in a defiant mood before hosting Leeds United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday night. The Argentinian believes Chelsea have made progress this season and is confident there will be no knee-jerk reactions from the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership.

Manager has three months to convince restless owners he can succeed despite their wasteful spending and flawed strategy

Those lost 30 minutes will haunt Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea’s inexplicable lethargy during extra time against Liverpool will stain their head coach’s reputation. For Pochettino, who is yet to win a trophy in English football, the accusation that he bottles the big occasions will be hard to shake off after the manner of his side’s 1-0 defeat in the Carabao Cup final.

Reputations are made in those moments. Unfortunately for Pochettino, it is hard to find anyone willing to place much store in Paris Saint-Germain’s financial might helping him to three trophies in France. Before facing Liverpool there was more focus on the semi-finals and finals that got away from the Argentinian during his Tottenham days. Unfairly or not, the only way to answer the question of whether Pochettino was ruthless enough was with a statement win. He had to show Chelsea fans he was capable of beating Jürgen Klopp .

• Chelsea manager fears officials could be caught up in emotion
• Pochettino: ‘We need to be fair in every single decision’

Mauricio Pochettino has urged the officials in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final to be “fair” as he warned against them getting caught up in the emotion around Jürgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool .

Chelsea’s head coach looked to ramp up the mind games as he called on Chris Kavanagh, who will referee the final, to treat both teams equally. Pochettino referenced Chelsea being denied two penalties when they lost 4-1 to Liverpool at Anfield last month and said he did not want his side’s task at Wembley made harder by forces out of their control.

• Argentinian under pressure to deliver win over Sheffield United
• ‘The moment that they stop trusting, you will see not me here’

Mauricio Pochettino has said that he trusts Chelsea’s owners to give him time to revive the club’s fortunes after a difficult start to the season.

Chelsea go into Saturday afternoon’s home game against Sheffield United with Pochettino under pressure to secure a victory over the Premier League’s bottom side. The Argentinian was frustrated after last week’s defeat to Everton , a result that left his side in 12th place, and suggested he wanted more signings in January.

A brave transfer strategy is in play at Stamford Bridge and clubs such as Manchester United should take note

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea’s decision to prioritise potential over proven talent in the transfer market is a recipe for success, but one element of their recruitment strategy under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital deserves more praise.

Manchester United could learn from the ruthlessness. Erik ten Hag has said repeatedly that he wanted to improve the culture of the club when he took over at Old Trafford but that sounds similar to what Frank Lampard was saying after being appointed as Chelsea’s interim manager last April. Lampard, renowned for his dedication during his playing career, could not believe how far standards had dipped in training. Chelsea, whose oversized squad contained far too many disgruntled players, had to act.

Christophe Galtier entraîneur du PSG à la place de Pochettino  (Christophe Galtier le 7 mai 2022. AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

🔜🎥🎙️

Une conférence de presse se déroulera dans l’Auditorium du Parc des Princes ce mardi 5 juillet à 14h.

Un évènement qui sera diffusé en direct sur #PSGtv https://t.co/Mb8N6rCJ8q

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 4, 2022