Marcel Desailly casts doubt on Chelsea’s top-four chances this season
World Cup winner Marcel Desailly has played down Chelsea’s chances of returning to the top-four in the Premier League this season despite the arrival of highly-rayed manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues slumped to a 12th-place finish last season under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
It is hoped the appointment of former Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Southampton manager Pochettino will turn the tide at Stamford Bridge, but Desailly is not convinced.
Chelsea have continued their remarkable spending spree under Todd Boehly by signing Robert Sanchez, Axel Disasi, Lesley Ugochukwu, Nicolas Jackson and Kendry Paez this summer.
Desailly Believes Pochettino Has a ‘Medium to Long-Term Project’
But World Cup winner Desailly still believes Pochettino has a ‘medium to long-term project’ on his hands and will struggle to get Chelsea back into the top-four this season.
‘The people who are invested in Chelsea know that this is a medium to long-term process before they can come back to top-four,’ former Blues defender Desailly told BoyleSports.
‘It is a two to three-year project before getting back into the system. You need to build the players and increase their value, get them up to speed with the project.’
‘I want Chelsea to finish top-four because I am a fan, but I don’t think it will happen when you look at their rivals right now. Chelsea are a team that need to build up again that winning mentality.’
Chelsea Kick-Start Their 2023-24 Campaign on Sunday Against Liverpool
Chelsea, who enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season under Pochettino, kick-start their 2023-24 campaign on Sunday against Liverpool.
Conclusion
Despite the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea’s impressive spending spree this summer, Marcel Desailly believes it will take two to three years for the Blues to return to the top four in the Premier League. Chelsea kick-off their 2023-24 campaign on Sunday against Liverpool and it remains to be seen if Pochettino can prove Desailly wrong and get them back into the top four this season.