It is probably safe not to take Mauricio Pochettino’s description of himself as a university professor seriously. When this mess of a game was over Professor Poch was on the pitch, any illusion of thoughtfulness disappearing as he had a go at the officials, the elbow patches on his blazer well and truly off. Perhaps it is time for Todd Boehly to install a creche at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino was in charge of a class of unruly children during a performance that began with Chelsea in control and ended with Levi Colwill almost giving away a penalty in the 110th minute, tempers boiling over and Brighton almost snatching an unlikely point as chaos reigned.
Control? Composure? Forget about it. Chelsea have the worst disciplinary record in the top flight and were almost too intense in their pursuit of their fourth Premier League home win in 2023. They were up for a fight after their collapse against Newcastle but were down to 10 men when their captain, Conor Gallagher, got himself sent off just before half-time. Pochettino loved his young side’s spirit. He needs to fix the naivety, though.
