Mauricio Pochettino era starts at Chelsea and here's what new Blues boss must do first to turn things around
The Argentinian tactician has plenty of work ahead to get a squad lacking cohesion to perform up to their lofty standards

Few European clubs have had a summer as busy as Chelsea's has been so far but manager Mauricio Pochettino got to work on Friday when he held his first press conference as the Blues' new boss. The Argentinian tactician has a less bloated group which remains talent-rich despite major outgoings and the 51-year-old now has a squad that arguably closer fits his needs and wants than the one he immediately inherited when he agreed to take over as Chelsea boss. Facing the general press for the first time since his Stamford Bridge arrival, Pochettino set out clear goals for the future and how we can expect the Blues to evolve under his leadership as they look to rebound from finishing 12th in the Premier League and failing to win a trophy.
We take a look at his to-do list:
Keeping purging squad with futures of Lukaku, Pulisic to be decided
Pochettino has seen Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson check in at Stamford Bridge, but the departures of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus Cheek, N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta make the Londoners' squad a much-changed one. There are a number of players who can and probably will move on in the coming weeks and months such as Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech to make room for a few more new faces.
"I was hearing different opinions about Chelsea and the squad being too big," said the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss. "For me a fresh start. People come in and go out. I think that (Lukaku) needs to be back by the 12th or 13th for the start of preseason. Like all players when they arrive, they come to my office to say hi. If he is still a Chelsea player…"
Figure out tour squad and which young talents to showcase
Once Pochettino works out who he wants to work with and is less keen on working with, he needs to shape his squad for this summer's U.S. tour from mid-July. That could be an opportunity to see other players up close like some of the late arrivers who are still on international duty like England under-21 pair Levi Colwill and Noni Madueke who are involved in this weekend's UEFA Euro final.
"We spoke yesterday with Levi and Noni," said the man from Murphy. "One I know, Noni with Spurs, and Levi I do not know but introduced myself and wished them the best for Spain vs. England. We are waiting for them to be with the team. I think they will join us in America."
Begin to developing starting XI
Once Pochettino has seen his players up close, he will have to start concocting a preferred starting XI which he will logically be trying to put into place by the end of preseason. However, before he can attempt to do that, he needs to have a complete squad to choose from which he suggested was not currently the case. The South American knows that the expectation is to get Chelsea winning games immediately and to take them back to Europe as quickly as possible.
"I am still not trying to think of the biggest challenge," said Pochettino. "It is important to finish the squad and have a balanced squad. In soccer, it is difficult to wait. At Chelsea you need to deliver from day one. We are working now in the training ground, [it] is about delivering from now, to give our best. Football is about today or yesterday. We cannot talk long-term. We cannot tell people we need six months, I think it is not good. We are going to have a squad of players who can deliver.
"My aim is to win. If you are at Chelsea, you cannot talk about to show up and play well. Of course playing well is our style and philosophy but also to win. With the players we have we need to start to believe. We need to work hard, we are working really hard and need to relay this energy to our fans. The Premier League is really tough."
Find a captain
Finally, once settled upon his preferred starting XI, it will be time for Pochettino to decide upon a leader for his side and elect a set captain. The Argentinian has a selection of worthy candidates including the experienced Thiago Silva who he narrowly missed in Paris, but he will only know once he has spent time preparing for the new season with his new squad, so logically any choice would be made just before the Premier League campaign gets underway against Liverpool on Aug. 13. With Cesar Azpilicueta gone, the armband is up for grabs.
"First of all, we need to see the squad and I need to know and feel the players and the commitment, the character, the personality," said Pochettino of the captaincy. "Positive and not so positive. Then we have many players with experience."
















