Five players Mauricio Pochettino has failed to improve at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea continue to blow hot and cold, with the feeling of a ‘nearly’ team every time the stakes are high. They have been to Wembley twice this season and have nothing to show for it.

They can put six past Everton, but also have a tendency to ship goals, as evidenced by the five they conceded at the Emirates. In one of the low points of what has been an incredibly challenging campaign, Argentinian manager Pochettino could only look on with disgust as his side were torn apart by Arsenal.

The 52-year-old is not the only one to blame for Chelsea’s troubles - sporting directors and owners will have to take a share of the blame - but is Pochettino making the most of a squad of talented players?

Here, we look at five players who have just failed to develop under a manager with a reputation for getting the best out of young and talented footballers.

Mykhailo Mudryk

The Ukrainian must be rueing his decision to move to Stamford Bridge instead of the Emirates. He has only managed four goals and two assists in 26 league games. He looks like a man who can not wait for the season to be over.

Mudryk would have felt the pain of seeing Leandro Trossard - a player Arteta only signed after missing out on the Ukrainian - doing so well and playing with so much confidence in a functioning squad. He won't say it publicly but deep down he would be thinking: “That could have been me.” The impact Trossard has had on this Arsenal team cannot be overstated and part of his adaptation has been down to the coaching and the structure he plays in.

Benoit Badiashile

When Chelsea signed Badiashile, he was supposed to be one of the best ball-playing centre-backs. A hamstring injury ended his season abruptly last time and disrupted the start of this season.

Since his return though, it's been one mistake after another. He never checks his blind spots and is devoid of confidence. There was a time when he was injured and the technical team believed he would be the solution to the defensive problems but, at this rate, he might be one of the players with whom the club would be considering cutting their losses. He is barely fit and when he is fit he just doesn't look like a player with form or confidence.

Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea paid more than £100 million for the Argentinian World Cup winner but they have played their best football under Pochettino when he has been out injured. The game in which they put six past Everton was one of the bright spots of a challenging season.

Enzo is gifted but there comes a time when his performance this season can be politely described as ‘lacklustre’. There are mitigating circumstances, with the team’s structure and a lack of options to utilise his full potential, but he has not helped himself with some of his finishing.

He doesn't have the legs to be a Conor Gallagher but he’s not used his technique in a way that makes up for the lack of athleticism. Under a different manager, he could be elegant but under Pochettino he’s looked like a shadow of the midfielder who won the Best Young Player award at the World Cup in Qatar.

Marc Cucurella

The Spain full-back is an enigma. He is incredibly difficult to beat, one on one, but needs work with his final ball and concentration. You can't question his commitment and he is one who leaves everything on the field. But he’s been unable to reach the heights of the performances at Brighton that saw Manchester City willing to pay £40 million for his services.

Cucurella was unbelievable in the structure Graham Potter created at Brighton and he is another who will be wondering ‘what could have been’ at City.

Moises Caicedo

There will never be another N’Golo Kante, but if there was a player to at least try to fill his void, it was Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. He was supposed to have the legs that Fernandez lacked. He was supposed to be the protection that gave far more technical players the freedom to express themselves and dominate the game. He was supposed to be able to hunt the ball, as he did under Robert de Zerbi’s Brighton, but at Chelsea, the gaps seem too big.

Next season?

There is still a decision to be made on who will be the Chelsea manager next season, and the question may remain hanging until the season ends and the owners see where they have finished.

Manchester United sacked David Moyes once they knew it was mathematically impossible to get Champions League football, and sources within Chelsea say there is a general feeling within the board that the decision to sack Potter, in hindsight, was made in haste.

A full review will be carried out by club and manager - and the five players above will feature heavily.