Mauricio Pochettino's brutal Chelsea admission signifies summer plans after Manchester City loss

It was a strange post-match press conference. Everyone sat inside the press conference room at Wembley Stadium was expecting Mauricio Pochettino to be an intense and incredibly frustrated figure.

His Chelsea team had arguably outplayed Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final but were extremely wasteful in front of goal. Nicolas Jackson, notably, had three golden opportunities to score but failed in each attempt. There were other chances, too, but decision-making in the final third cost the Blues.

Since May 2022, Chelsea's attacking record at Wembley makes for horrendous reading. The Blues have attempted 39 shots, with an xG of 4.52 but have not scored a single goal. In five of their last six matches at the national stadium, Chelsea have failed to score.

Yet Pochettino seemed calm, assured and composed. Sensible. "In football, the most important thing is to be clinical and to not concede," the Argentine said post-match. "We competed well. I cannot say we were the better side because that in football is difficult to measure.

"Competing in this way, we need to take positives from the game. This type of group of players needs this type of moments in games. Now it's about to take the positive things and try to build in the things that we need, the areas we need to improve. Now is the time to finish the season in the best way and then to speak about how we can be better next season."

And that last sentence from Pochettino is telling. While there have been signs of progress, albeit in small doses, there are areas of the squad that need improving. Some players need moving on. There needs to be a balance.

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At 24 years and 254 days, Chelsea have the second youngest squad in the Premier League. And with Thiago Silva, who was in tears at full-time, looking likely to leave at the end of the season, that average is set to go down even more.

While all of these players have undoubted potential and quality, there are not enough on the pitch with the experience and knowhow for massive games just like the defeat to Man City. Chelsea supporters are tired of falling just short.

A busy summer transfer window beckons, but the club's sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley must learn from previous experience. The growing significance of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) will play a big part, too, but Chelsea need a strong window.

A world-class striker was not addressed last summer in the transfer window. Jackson, who has bags of potential and has overall had a fairly strong debut season with Chelsea when all things are considered, is still very raw and that was there for everybody to see at Wembley.

When Chelsea signed Jackson last summer, the club's plan was to let him develop at his own pace and the thought process was that they would not be too over-reliant on his services at striker, football.london understands. Circumstances with Christopher Nkunku have changed that, though, with the 26-year-old only playing 351 minutes since moving to England.

It is an area Chelsea are looking at ahead of the summer, and have a shortlist of strikers they have scouted intensely. Victor Osimhen is on that list but without the lure of Champions League football – and Paris Saint-Germain sniffing around – that looks unlikely this summer.

Ivan Toney has been on the list for a while and remains a possibility but again, there will be a queue of clubs in for the England international. Another wide player is also being considered with Chelsea's wingers, bar Cole Palmer, not contributing as much as was hoped for in terms of goals this season.

For Chelsea now, it is about finishing the season in the strongest way possible. There is still an opportunity for a spot in Europe next term, although it will be difficult.

The defeat at Wembley is a really tough one to take for the players, staff and supporters. This game meant a huge amount. It felt like a final. It felt like Chelsea's final chance to salvage something out of another underwhelming season.