07 February 2024 , 22:14
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According to Mauricio Pochettino, Todd Boehly sent a “very good text” after the embarrassing defeat to Wolves at the weekend.
And that probably did not surprise Chelsea fans, whose appreciation of Boehly’s regime could be gauged - a mere ten minutes into this one-sided tie - by their enthusiastic chant in support of a club owner. Unfortunately for Boehly, it was not in support of the current club owner.
“Roman Abramovich, Roman Abramovich,” sang the visiting contingent, seemingly to a man, woman and child. That tells you where Chelsea loyalists park the blame for the general mediocrity this season and that tells you why Boehly and the ownership will not be putting pressure on Pochettino any time soon.
But what Pochettino really needed was not a few nice emojis from Todd - he needed an emotional response from his players to the hammerings at Anfield and at the hands of Gary O’Neil’s side.
And he got one. Unlike at many stages during those losses to Liverpool and Wolves, they looked like they cared, looked like they were willing to bust a gut for the cause, looked like they had been motivated by a manager with trophy resumé that does match his reputation.
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Malo Gusto, for example, is a 20-year-old who could be used as a poster-boy for the folly of Boehly’s recruitment policy. Bought for a lumpy-looking £30million, Gusto is a largely unproven talent who now has a contract that runs into the next decade.
He was hooked late in Sunday’s humiliation after giving away the penalty that handed Wolves their fourth goal.
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Chelsea are into the FA Cup fifth round after beating Aston Villa 3-1 (Getty Images)But Gusto, again filling the right-back slot in the absence of Reece James, produced the sort of individual performance that Pochettino has been crying out for, combining a fierce determination not to be beaten in head-to-head defensive situations with an attacking threat that always looked like causing Villa problems.
His drilled cross for the clever Nicolas Jackson header that doubled a first half lead that had been earned by Conor Gallagher’s clean strike was a peach of an assist.
But it was the French defender’s attitude and approach to the contest that suggested Pochettino - contrary to what Thiago Silva’s wife might think - has a stronger connection with the dressing-room than recent evidence seemed to show.
Put it this way, if Chelsea can play with this sort of Gusto every week, Pochettino might be just fine.