Mauricio Pochettino has declared there will be no excuses for Chelsea next season, as he looks for his side to bounce back from their 12th-placed finish last term. The west London side is in the midst of a heavy transition, with uncertainty over how the squad will look on the opening day of the season, but admitting that is not part of the Blues boss' thinking now that pre-season is underway.
The Blues have already sold Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly and it is expected that more will depart the club before the summer is out. In the opposite direction, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have arrived to begin to replenish first-team numbers.
Pochettino wants to instil a competitive edge in his team from the off however, with some players already back in action at Cobham. The 51-year-old appears to want his side to have an intensity that Frank Lampard lamented his side lacked. The Chelsea boss expects to press from the outset.
