Mauricio Pochettino cannot escape being held accountable for how Chelsea have turned into a steaming pile of PRICE TAGS, writes Kieran Gill… the Blues are stuck wondering if their investment in youth will ever pay off

To be fair, this was originally going to be a piece about Nicolas Jackson and whether he could work as a left winger if Chelsea were to sign a striker this summer. But then it was 1-0.

Then it became 2-0, which was frustrating for Chelsea. Then 3-0, somewhat embarrassing. Then 4-0, humiliating. Then it went 5-0, a final capitulation in which one of the country’s most loyal followers decided they had seen enough and left the Emirates Stadium away long before full time.

Jackson and the left-wing debate can wait for another day. After this loss to Arsenal, Chelsea have bigger problems to address, and it’s hard not to feel like they are moving on from the manager.

That’s not to say Mauricio Pochettino is flawless. Far from it. He cannot avoid being held responsible for the way Chelsea has crumbled into a steaming pile of price tags.

Because how the defense didn’t exist for the short corner from which Ben White scored. Because Mykhailo Mudryk doesn’t seem to know where to be and when in his system. Because how this young team seems to emerge for the second half as if a lullaby has been sung to them. Because in a division full of discernible playing styles, it’s hard to understand what Chelsea are trying to do.

The Blues have had a dismal season, slumping to a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday” class=”blkBorder img-share” style=”max-width:100%” />

The Blues have had a dismal season, slumping to a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday

Conor Gallagher’s team capitulated and suffered their heaviest defeat ever against Arsenal

Elsewhere, reports emerged on Tuesday that Pochettino will remain in charge next season, and they were premature to say the least.

The plan was, and apparently still is, to conduct a summer review. Sources say the players love Pochettino but nights as embarrassing as Chelsea suffering their heaviest ever defeat to Arsenal will not help his case with Clearlake Capital ownership and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

But looking at the manager, those in charge must also assess their own strategy. They fired Thomas Tuchel. They fired Graham Potter. They could still turn on Pochettino – someone who, despite his allegiance to Tottenham, was hired because of his reputation as a developer of young talent – ​​and turn to another head coach in the hope that they can pull it off this time.

Who is willing to risk their reputation remains to be seen, as so far this has only looked like a doomed recruitment model – one in which players like Kai Havertz were sold off to make way for greener youngsters. It did not go unnoticed that, unlike White’s two goals, Chelsea’s social media team failed to inform Havertz when informing their millions of followers about his brace during this Emirates embarrassment.

Pochettino has asked for patience for much of this season, insisting this team needs time to flourish. Chelsea’s line-up had an average age of 23 years and 169 days – the youngest ever for a Premier League match against Arsenal – and it showed over a miserable 90 minutes.

Nicolas Jackson once again failed to justify his £32 million price tag and failed to find the back of the net

It’s unclear what co-owners Todd Boehly (left) and Behdad Eghbali (right) are trying to do

Kai Havertz, who scored against his old team, was a sold player to make room for new talent

And now they’re stuck. They were stuck with young players, signing for significant amounts of money and on lifetime deals, which they would find difficult to change for anything other than a loss. I wonder what to do, where to turn, and if this team will ever live up to the potential they paid for.

Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile cost a combined £74 million and only stopped conceding when 39-year-old Thiago Silva was introduced to form a back five in a substitution that screamed damage limitation. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez cost £221m and couldn’t get close to anyone in red. Noni Madueke and Mudryk cost £117 million and barely had a sniff of goals. Jackson cost £32m and despite showing glimpses of the good, we once again witnessed the poor in his finishing.

Pochettino’s position will be scrutinized, and rightly so, but he is just part of a bigger problem that will see Chelsea face another season without European football.