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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 17
Chelsea v Sheffield United
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Saturday, 16 December 2023
Kick-off is at 17h00
Nothing but three points will do for Chelsea when they play host to rock-bottom Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, December 16.
Mauricio Pochettino hasn't made the best of starts to his tenure in West London, losing seven of his opening 16 matches in the
Premier League at the helm of the Blues.
Pochettino has had to deal with a lengthy injury list and a lack of confidence from his players, with a 2-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park on December 10 leaving the team down in 12th position, 18 points adrift of the league summit.
The Londoners (12th) are in a four-way tie with Bournemouth (14th), Wolves (13th) and Brentford (11th) on 19 points, having seen Fulham leapfrog them into 10th spot courtesy of a 5-0 victory over West Ham at Craven Cottage.
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The Blades picked up a precious three points in a 1-0 success over the Bees at Bramall Lane on December 9 to go level with Burnley (19th) on eight points and close within five points of safety.
A third win in four games for the Toffees took them four points clear of the relegation zone in 17th place as they continue to recover from the 10-point deduction they suffered last month.
Cole Palmer continues to look Chelsea's best player and he had a couple of chances from range against Everton, forcing Jordan Pickford into a save in the first half before curling an effort just wide from a similar position in the second half. The off-season signing from City has already made an impact for the Blues, contributing five goals and two assists in 14 appearances.
James McAtee scored a cracker against Brentford to not only open his account for the season. but also ensure that Chris Wilder made a winning start to his second spell at the South Yorkshire club. The 21-year-old midfielder netted nine goals in the Blades' promotion-winning 2022-23 campaign and he'll be hoping to kick on now after breaking his duck this term.
Pochettino lamented a lack of positivity and cutting edge in front of goal against the Toffees and admits his team need to take their chances if they want to thing things around.
"We didn't score. I think we dominated the game, we were the better side, but if you don't score goals it is difficult to win the games. We were not aggressive enough in the last third," the Argentine stated.
"We have been showing promise with it, but today we showed a lack of positivity. We had too many approaches into the last third but then if you are not aggressive enough or compete with quality there it is difficult to win the game.
"In the end, a lack of concentration and we concede one goal, but we should have scored before. We need to score if we want to win the game and be in a different position in the table."
Wilder, who replaced Paul Heckingbottom at the helm on December 5, was pleased with the amount of effort his players put in against Brentford in the closing stages to preserve their narrow lead and feels they'll have to suffer a lot more to get themselves out of trouble.
"It was really emotional because that first win is huge for everybody. I'd have been desperately disappointed (if Sheffield United conceded) for the amount of effort they've put in," he said.
"The word we use is suffer and the club has had to suffer this season, nationally we know what the narrative is, we are not daft, we listen to pundits and commentators about certain aspects. It's our job to change that.
"The only disappointing thing is we didn't put the game to bed and we've all been in that position. We took a step into them and then we had to suffer at the end of the second half to put our bodies on the line and keep the ball out of the net and that's the most simplistic way of doing it.
"It's a quick turnaround especially with the amount of energy we put into the game and the emotional energy with what's happened this week with the manager leaving and what that does to players and staff."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Chelsea - 3
Sheffield U - 1
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 17 fixtures:
Friday, December 15
22h00: Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur
Saturday, December 16
17h00: Bournemouth v Luton Town
17h00: Chelsea v Sheffield United
17h00: Manchester City v Crystal Palace
17h00: Newcastle United v Fulham
19h30: Burnley v Everton
Sunday, December 17
16h00: Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h00: Brentford v Aston Villa
16h00: West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
18h30: Liverpool v Manchester United
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