Mauricio Pochettino faces a daunting fight to turn Chelsea's fortunes around. The Argentine stated after Sunday's dreary home defeat to Wolves that neither he nor his players were 'good enough', and a reported lack of commitment in training will do little to help steady the ship at Stamford Bridge.
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Matheus Cunha bagged a hat-trick for Wolves as Chelsea were outclasses on home turf, conceding four goals for the second consecutive game. Pochettino is now facing fresh questions over his future despite Blues co-owner Todd Boehly initially planning to give him until the end of the season before conducting a two-way review meeting.
But the signs at Chelsea's Cobham training complex are worrying. According to The Daily Mail, squad morale is said to be 'noticeably low' with players heading home as soon as possible.
There is reportedly little in the way of struggling stars staying behind after hours to hone their craft, which is surely the kind of commitment Chelsea are crying out for after suffering 10 defeats in 23 Premier League matches.
Delivering feedback has also been a problem for Pochettino. Some Chelsea stars are reportedly unwilling to accept constructive criticism as the ex-Tottenham manager scrambles desperately to find a winning recipe.
Signs of tension behind the scenes are popping up left and right, with Thiago Silva's wife calling for 'change' on social media after Wolves ran riot in west London.
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Pochettino and Silva had a heated argument during the win over Tottenham in November, and the Chelsea boss was unable to get the veteran's attention while trying to deliver instructions against Wolves.
The Blues rolled the dice by parting ways with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter last term, and the fact managerial changes failed to inspire positive results could end up saving Pochettino's skin. His floundering side are back in action on Wednesday night, when they will visit Aston Villa for an FA Cup fourth-round replay.
'Chelsea are baffling to me' | Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure after their latest defeat | Football Digest
On whether to show faith in Pochettino, Chelsea hero Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live: "They have no choice but to hang on in there and hope he gradually improves them.
"When you spend that kind of money you would expect the team to be slicker and better than they are at this moment in time. They have made tiny bit of progress if you compare it to last season but last season was so bad it was impossible not to do that."
