REVEALED: Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea are conceding MORE goals – and losing just as much – than under Graham Potter before he was sacked by the Blues

Mauricio Pochettino is approaching a crucial – and dangerous point – in his Chelsea tenure. The Argentine has reached 31 games, the exact same point as Graham Potter when he was given his marching orders last year.

After a humiliating 4-2 home defeat to Wolves this weekend, it might not be long before captain Pochettino walks the plank too. It marked a damaging week for the Blues that saw them ship four goals in back to back games, following a 4-1 loss away at Liverpool. 

When Potter was axed last April, he too had suffered a dismal home defeat – a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge – before being replaced by Frank Lampard for the rest of the season. 

But after 31 games each, the signs don’t look good for Pochettino. As someone that owner Todd Boehly hoped would come in and shake up this Chelsea team, things look like they’ve hardly improved at all. 

Stats from Opta show that Potter – who only managed 22 Premier League games in comparison to Pochettino’s 23 – won fewer matches in all competitions (12) than Pochettino (14) after 31 games, with the Argentine boasting a superior win rate of 45.2 per cent to Potter’s 38.7 per cent.

Chelsea struggles this season show no signs of letting up after a 4-2 home loss to Wolves

The Blues have failed to build on last season since Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the club

Potter’s side also drew more games (eight) than Pochettino (six), but both lost 11 matches at the same stage. 

Pochettino’s current side have also outscored Potter’s across the spell of 31 games, with 54 strikes compared to his 33.

But while Chelsea might be a better attacking outfit under Pochettino, they have actually got much worse defensively – which is a huge concern. 

The current outfit have let in 43 goals in all competitions, 39 of which have come in the Premier League. By way of comparison, relegation threatened Everton have only let in 30. Across his 31 games, Potter’s Chelsea let in just 31 goals. 

And that increased defensive shoddiness this season is well represented with 368 shots faced – up on the 336 from the same stage under Potter, whos XG allowed was 3.7.7 compared to Pochettino’s 41. 

Chelsea were dismal under Graham Potter last term, but stats show his Chelsea were more defensively sound than Pochettino’s

Indeed, the numbers will not make for pleasant reading for the Chelsea hierarchy – especially after an eye-watering outlay of £400million assembling a squad for the ex-Tottenham boss. 

Mail Sport reported this week that Pochettino was not in any imminent danger of being sacked despite Chelsea’s poor results, which have left them 11th in the table. 

However, if Chelsea were considering a change of managers, the board would be forced to part with around £10million – including offloading his entire coaching staff – which would leave them at risk of breching the Premier League’s spending rules. 

Pochettino could yet win a trophy this season after leading the team to the Carabao Cup final – which will be played against Liverpool on February 25 – which would also guarantee them Europa League football. 

However, Chelsea face a tricky upcoming month with an FA Cup replay against Aston Villa next, followed by a trip to Crystal Palace, a visit to Premier League champions Man City – before their showpiece against the Reds. 

Chelsea have conceded 43 goals from 31 matches this season – while Potter’s side only let in 31

Pochettino’s words after their latest defeat at home to Wolves were telling as he admitted he ‘never’ thought managing the Blues would be this tough.

‘We knew it was going to be tough this year but never (this tough),’ said Pochettino. ‘Because of all the circumstances (injuries and suspensions), it makes the situation worse. 

‘We have too many important players out and too many circumstances going on from the start of the season that is out of our hands. But at the same time, it’s a good challenge.

‘We are so far away (from our targets). To be honest, our target was to be on top. We are Chelsea and with our history and everything, it demands us to be near the top. But at the moment we need to be realistic. We need to compete better if we want to win more games,’