Mauricio Pochettino has laid out a blunt assessment of the upheaval at Chelsea since BlueCo took control, arguing the new direction has altered expectations and hindered short-term results. Now in charge of the USMNT, he discussed those challenges on The Overlap and urged clearer communication between owners and football staff.

Pochettino warned that the club’s shift from a win-now model to a focus on young, high-potential signings has produced few clear successes so far and left supporters unconvinced. “They have a plan that is maybe completely different than what was used to be Chelsea in the past with [former owner Roman] Abramovich,” Pochettino acknowledged. “It’s true that it’s not easy because it’s difficult for people to understand.

“When I’m thinking about a new project, the most important [thing] is how we can translate and to show what is the plan and what we want to achieve with that and how is going to be the process to arrive where we want to arrive. Sometimes, in football, it’s difficult to explain because people don’t listen. They only listen to results.

“And then because there’s too many people making the decisions—football is not an ordinary business—sometimes people struggle. They need to explain the plan.”

Supporters have flagged the squad’s youth: Tosin Adarabioyo is the oldest current player at 28, while Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández are 27 and 25. Pochettino said that lack of experience constrained his work in 2023–24. “What I understood [about the plan] didn’t happen after … and maybe I was wrong,” he continued.

He reflected on the progress made under his tenure: the side rose from 12th in the Premier League to sixth, finished the season strongly, reached the Carabao Cup final and lost an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. “But after, when things didn’t match what was our vision, we said it’s better to split and to give the possibility to the club to do what they want to do.”

Pochettino described how recruitment decisions were often preordained. “When we signed, it was already done, all the signings,” Pochettino acknowledged. “I was involved, I said O.K. when we signed [Axel] Disasi because [Wesley] Fofana was injured in preseason, and Cole Palmer. With these two, we were involved in the decisions.

“It’s more about a philosophic idea that the coaching staff … we need to be involved. We need to be a part—an important part—of the decisions because, if not, it’s not easy.

Calling the shots at Stamford Bridge are co-owner Behdad Eghbali, co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and recruitment chiefs Joe Shields and Sam Jewell. Pochettino urged owners and recruitment teams to balance data and analysis with coaches’ judgement on passion, pressure handling and tactical fit.

“In the moment that we arrived, we completely supported the club in all the decisions that they already made,” he concluded. “What happened after, I don’t know. If you accept to go to Chelsea, it is more clear after us, the idea of the management of the club.

“I’m not complaining because it was also my decision to leave the club, but I think to understand the new people that arrive, the new ownership, the new football, the new coaches, the new sporting directors, the new everything, we sometimes underestimate the analog things. ]

Manchester City’s Carabao Cup success produced contrasting reactions from the manager and his players over the implications for the Premier League title race. Pep Guardiola praised the performance but cautioned that the trophy might not alter the campaign against Arsenal. “I would like to have nine points in front of Arsenal,” he admitted, even asking whether he would “change” the trophy for that lead. He added: “It will have no impact,” calling the competitions “different competitions.” Guardiola also warned that “They will be more concerned when they come to [the] Etihad,” a reference to the league meeting on April 19, and suggested the win could help his side against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Players presented a starker assessment. Nico O’Reilly told the CBS Sports studio: “Yeah, 100%. The blood never went—we’ve always smelt blood. We’re confident in ourselves, we know we can do it, they’ve got to come to our place which is a tough place to come to as everyone has seen this season. So we do smell blood and we’ve got to keep going. It does a lot for us [winning the final], builds momentum and just push on now. Obviously it’s a big blow for them. They were going for everything, just as we were [before defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League].”

Rodri echoed those sentiments, calling the match’s effect “A lot, a lot,” and explained: “That’s why I say it’s a game not only for this title [Carabao Cup] but to show that we can beat them.” He conceded “There is still a lot to do,” and reflected on City’s Champions League exit: “and it’s clear we didn’t want to go out of the Champions League, but we went out and now we have to take the positives, we have more time to prepare for the games. So that’s something to take into account—but we also have to celebrate this. The Real Madrid game was pretty tough [losing 5–1 on aggregate ] but the team has recovered. We knew it was a very important game against Arsenal not only because of the title but also because we had to face the best team in the league. Now we need to rest, go back to the next round of internationals and come back with the optimism that we still have two more competitions to fight for.”

Arsenal retain a nine-point lead, though City have a game in hand and can reduce the gap to three with victory at the Etihad on April 19. Mikel Arteta vowed: “We’re going to use this disappointment and this fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months that we have ever [had] together,” adding: “That’s on us and we’ll manage that energy in the right way. Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment and it’s normal and it’s part of football.” Arsenal have lost only four matches across all competitions this season and have followed earlier defeats with double-digit unbeaten runs, a pattern they will seek to replicate after Wembley.

Mikel Arteta said he would repeat the decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 2026 Carabao Cup final, even after Arsenal lost the showpiece at Wembley to Manchester City following a costly error from the stand-in. The mistake allowed O’Reilly’s second of the afternoon and, while the goal was described as a collective failing, much of the disappointment was directed at the luckless stand-in.

Arteta defended the choice as one of principle. “I have to do what I feel is right, which is honest and which is fair,” he told assembled media after the final whistle. “I think we have an outstanding goalkeeper in Kepa. He’s played all the [games in the] competition and I think it would have been very unfair for him and for the team to do something different.”

Questions were raised about whether cup involvement had been part of the agreement that brought Arrizabalaga from Chelsea to Arsenal. The manager was clear that no promises were made. “I can never promise a player to play certain competitions,” Arteta insisted, “they have to earn it and do enough.

“We are guided by what we see. What he’s done in the competition, and how he helped us to get us to the final, I believe it was the right thing to do. Errors are part of football, and unfortunately it happened in a crucial moment.”

Arteta reiterated his stance to broadcasters. “I would do it again,” he told Sky Sports.

The use of different goalkeepers for different competitions has a long history in English football. As early as 1888–89, Preston North End employed James Trainer for the league while Dr. Bob Mills-Roberts was selected for the FA Cup; Mills-Roberts kept his place for the FA Cup final and kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 win. History has not always been so kind to the substitute.

Pep Guardiola benefited from his decision to trust James Trafford against Arsenal on Sunday. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s understudy made three fine saves to keep City in the tie earlier in the first half. “Players can be happy, unhappy. It is what it is,” Guardiola shrugged after announcing his decision ahead of kickoff.