It seems a long time ago that Tottenham had won eight of their opening 10 League games, in comparison to Chelsea’s three victories over the same period.
Given the turnaround, it is legitimate to reflect on which club will feel they have had the better season on Sunday evening. Regardless of whether or not they now finish behind Tottenham, Chelsea can justifiably claim to have turned the 10-game narrative on its head – even allowing for Pochettino’s lonely two hours after the Wolves defeat.
Pochettino outperformed Postecoglou in the cup competitions, reaching the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final, and, in Cole Palmer, the Chelsea head coach has the player of the season in his squad.
Chelsea have won nine of their 17 league games in 2024, in comparison to Tottenham’s seven and sit five places above their London rivals, in fourth place, in a table for the calendar year.
This is not to diminish what has been a season of progression for Tottenham, who finished eighth last year and missed out on European qualification. But it is worth remembering that Chelsea were coming from even further back, having slumped to 12th last term.
Postecoglou has warned of the need to make big changes and lamented the “fragile foundations” at Tottenham. But Pochettino believes he and his staff have put Chelsea’s “house” on a stable footing.
“The important thing is we have started building the structure,” said Pochettino. “We are wanting to build our house step by step, and be very solid in our steps. If we’re happy to live like this, we’ll be strong for the next few years. It’ll allow us to fight for things.”
While Postecoglou can confidently plan for the summer, Pochettino must wait for his fate to be decided in Chelsea’s end-of-season review and whether, indeed, it is not how you start that is important but how you finish.
Chelsea’s final game marks farewells to two highly-respected members of staff. Brian Pullman, a legendary figure within the media, who has seen around 30 managers come and go, is leaving after almost 56 years of service.
Senior communications manager Adrian Phillips is leaving after almost 10 years, during which he has impressively flanked Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Pochettino.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
