ADRIAN KAJUMBA: Chelsea were the better side but failed to win again – Mauricio Pochettino’s young Blues have to learn how to score and win and that may require MORE money

The common wisdom is that playing badly and still winning is something to exhaust encouragement from, a sign of a good team.

Mauricio Pochettino sees things differently after this season’s opening week, while the opposite has happened for Chelsea.

He said: ‘If we played badly and won games then I think we should be more concerned. I think it’s only a matter of time before we find a way to perform and win.

‘I prefer to start like this; showing good performances, good attitude as we dominate Liverpool and West Ham. But I think the attitude is there. I think for the future, with the players and the talent we have in the squad, it’s just time to find the right balance, score goals and win games.’

Indeed, Chelsea were the dominant side in their first two Premier League matches under Pochettino – with 65 per cent possession against Liverpool and even more – 77 per cent – at West Ham.

Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham came against the backdrop of some fine spells for the West London side

A debut to forget for Moises Caicedo (center) and sloppy defending gave the Irons the tie

Remarkably, victorious West Ham manager David Moyes was happy to admit how good Chelsea were not only against his side, but against Liverpool on the opening weekend.

But their opponents made efficient use of the opportunities presented to them, leaving Pochettino still chasing his opening win.

Liverpool scored with their one shot on target and Stamford Bridge and another shot also ended up in their goal, but Mohamed Salah’s goal was disallowed for offside.

Pochettino was frustrated that warnings about their opponents’ ability to play were not taken, allowing West Ham to score their opener from a corner.

Sloppy defending in not the most dangerous of situations, mainly from Axel Disasi and then debutant Moises Caicedo, preceded West Ham’s last two goals.

With this Chelsea group a young group – only three of their 20-man squad are aged 26 or over – it was natural to wonder if West Ham’s superior nous helped them better handle the situation, get through the tricky periods survive and deal with the emotion and physicality of a London derby.

Pochettino dismissed the idea, preferring to reiterate the excitement about the team they are building. “Defeat will definitely make us stronger,” he insisted.

Although they try to eliminate those precious moments from their game, they can find a solution as soon as possible due to their own lack of cutting edge.

Opportunities like the penalty that saw Enzo Fernandez saved should not be missed.

Raheem Sterling was sharp, but his and Nicolas Jackson’s positive work failed to translate into goals at West Ham.

Despite all their possession, they only had one shot on target in the second half.

That was also while I was playing against 10 men for just under 30 minutes.

Despite all the money spent, Chelsea remain light offensively, albeit not helped by a knee injury from Christopher Nkunku, who looked capable of making a big impact in pre-season.

Raheem Sterling was a strong presence for Chelsea but didn’t do enough to drag them up

Nicolas Jackson was just as smart with some spirited runs, but failed to find the net

The absence of summer signing Christopher Nkunku (right) is starting to squeeze in London

He will not be able to assist for several months while another option, Armando Broja, is not yet ready, but is almost fit again after his knee injury and is expected to be able to intensify his comeback either behind closed doors or soon with Chelsea under 21.

So it will be towards the transfer market that Chelsea turn again to a more readily available option.

However, Pochettino is adamant that there is no psychological problem when it comes to scoring that his players also need to overcome, following their goalless campaign last season.

He said: ‘These are new players. The players here do not feel what has happened in recent years. It’s about to believe. Players like Nico Jackson, he’s definitely going to score because he has great quality. I don’t believe (defeat at West Ham) happened because of what happened last season.’