Chelsea abuse Pochettino’s tools against lethargic Manchester City | FA Cup

medium sizeAnchester City were thrust into a strange, unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation at the start of their FA Cup semi-final. It felt chaotic and uncontrolled, almost as if it was designed for Conor Gallagher, who is stationed on Chelsea’s left flank as a hard-running, counter-pressing thrill machine whose main job is to blast away Kai Walker’s heart.

Mauricio Pochettino’s positional flexibility has long baffled Manchester City. Pep Guardiola was on the touchline with constant gesticulations and nervous energy and was soon having a frantic chat with John Stones over minor tactical details.

It must be noted that this is not for show. Cities are loose. Chelsea were happy at half-time. Their plan is working. Nicolas Jackson is one of the few who, while raw and frustrating, still manages to sustain the threat. If only he had confidence in his left foot.

Chelsea had a number of very close moments in this 1-0 defeat, not least when Enzo Fernandez released Jackson, whose reluctance to shoot doesn’t explain why he tried so hard to score from Cole Parr Mo took the penalty kick. City have always felt like a team in trouble after losing to Real Madrid in a penalty shootout in the Champions League. Even their ideas seemed to have strayed. Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri look like they need a good night’s sleep.

The challenge for Chelsea is to take advantage of the lethargy. Forget the Carabao Cup final defeat against Liverpool. Pochettino’s approach is primarily based on dynamism and mobility, giving them the tools to win. The question is whether Chelsea can execute. As the game wore on, City found a way. Cruelty comes late. Jérémy Doku performed well as a substitute but also caused problems. De Bruyne struck a final blow and crossed to Bernardo Silva to help the defending champion advance.

Chelsea only have themselves to blame. Jackson is a forward with many qualities. He gave Stones a scare in the first half, constantly turning and stretching the centre-backs. He even got the edge on Walker in a few games. But when things were actually done, doubts ensued. When Palmer picked off Jackson early in the second half, he had to score. Andy Carroll could have headed the goalkeeper over. Jackson went straight to Stephen Ortega from three yards out.

People always think of Pochettino saying “football is about players”. Chelsea’s manager isn’t really someone who likes to discuss tactics in depth. When asked about always being at a disadvantage against Guardiola on Friday, he was a bit nonchalant, saying the Catalan has always been at the big clubs. Get out of here with your system talk. As Harry Redknapp said to Joe Cole at West Ham United, play like Zola.

The same goes for Palmer, the maverick player who was moved by Guardiola last summer. Facing his old club, his perfect 29-minute hat-trick against Everton is still fresh in his mind. This is an important moment for Palmer. Manchester City have no shortage of attacking options. Here they line up alongside Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Silva behind Julian Alvarez, Erling Ha Rand’s replacement world champion replacement.

If Palmer had stayed at Manchester City, would he still have played so many games? Will he exude such protagonist-like energy off the bench? Will he score 25 goals in this game? Probably not. Finding his own path and taking responsibility in this ever-evolving, wild Chelsea side may have liberated Palmer. In cities, structure comes first. Guardiola thinks Palmer is not a good fit. Chelsea launched a fierce attack.

It’s all about Palmer, with Pochettino even suggesting he wouldn’t mind if the youngster was a bit industrious off the ball. No wonder Palmer attempted a shot from 40 yards after picking Alvarez’s pocket in the first half.

Chelsea looked confident. Gallagher was relentless on the left, with Fernandes and Moises Caicedo clear-eyed in the centre. It’s hard to blame any of Pochettino’s players. Noni Madueke is active on the right. The defense is good. Palmer showed great skill and tested Ortega with a low shot.

However, Chelsea once again left Wembley with regrets. When Jackson gets his lines wrong, it feels ominous. The ending is elusive. Palmer embarrassed Manuel Akanji and released Caicedo, who floated a bizarre cross-field shot wide. Ben Chilwell spurned an opportunity to tee up Raheem Sterling to make it 1-0.

No one was so wasteful against Manchester City. This is out of Pochettino’s control. There are doubts about his future but he is not Chelsea’s problem. There’s no way team owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital could have watched this game and concluded that finding a new manager was the way forward. Pochettino is clearly making progress. He needs time to complete the work. The rest is up to the main actors: the players.