Ex-Chelsea player Florent Malouda claims he ‘doesn’t RECOGNISE’ the Blues under Mauricio Pochettino and dismisses the ‘project’ in west London in damning assessment of his former club

• The midfielder is unconvinced by Chelsea’s work-in-progress side this season
• Club are looking to bounce back following a difficult 2022-23 campaign  
• It’s the world against Everton – it can galvanise the players to stay up – IAKO 

Ex-Chelsea player Florent Malouda has revealed that he ‘doesn’t recognise’ Chelsea in their current iteration, in conversation with former team-mate John Obi Mikel. 

The pair plied their trade at Stamford Bridge during a prodigious period at the club under former owner Roman Abramovich, winning a collective 10 trophies between them including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League. 

But under new co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the club is in the midst of a turbulent spell, which saw the Blues finish a lowly 12th at the end of the 2022-23 season. 

After cycling through four different managers in the dug-out during their last season, the club has tipped former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino to usher in a hoped-for period of stability. 

But despite going unbeaten before the international break against top-four sides including Tottenham and Manchester City, Chelsea has only just hoisted itself into the top-half of the table, and sit 10th. 

Florent Malouda (left) has claimed that he only recognises Chelsea because of their blue kits

Under Mauricio Pochettino the side are showing admirable fight but sit just 10th in the table

The ex-Blues star argued that even some of Pochettino’s players don’t understand the ‘project’

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Whilst Chelsea has been variously described as a work-in-progress or an ongoing project due to an investment in young talent, the concept appears to hold little sway with the retired midfielder. 

‘I don’t really recognise them, except for the colour of the shirt,’ Malouda said of the side he featured in between 2007 and 2013. 

‘I think the club is using too many key words about the project or whatever.

‘It takes time to build anything of value but since the new ownership, I don’t see any stability from the management.’

Speaking with Mikel on The Obi One Podcast, Malouda added: ‘I don’t want to speak about the players that they choose, they have their own process, but from the management, there is no stability, no clarity yet. 

‘So as a Chelsea fan, it is difficult to me to identify what I see. It’s not being harsh on them. I just don’t understand, and I’m very independent. I like when they win, and it hurst me when they lose, because people make fun of us, but I don’t understand. 

‘If I don’t understand (the project) – and most importantly, I think the players don’t understand. They repeat something, and they say, “oh, we came here for the project”. But the way it’s going, I wonder if there is a project. 

‘Everybody will tell you we want to win trophies. But now explain to us how.’

Malouda reserved praise for Pochettino – who he crossed paths with on the pitch in Ligue 1 during their respective spells at Lyon and Bordeaux in the early 2000s – but offered a point of comparison with the ruthless sacking of top managers during the Abramovich era. 

‘Even in a successful time, renowned managers were kicked out, even if you win,’ Malouda noted. 

Despite an uneven season Chelsea are unbeaten against the top-four during this campaign

The west London side will look to build on recent strong showings against Man City and Spurs against Newcastle after the break

‘In Chelsea, there is no time to build the project, you must win now. 

‘In our time, people talked about “boring Chelsea, boring Chelsea” – boring, but winning!’

Pochettino’s side will look to build on their run of form before the international break when they return to action against Newcastle on Saturday, but the Blues are staring down the barrel of a star-crossed run before Christmas. 

After facing the Magpies, Chelsea will play Brighton, Manchester United, Everton, and Newcastle again before the start of the festive season, which could hinder their ability to launch themselves further up the table ahead of 2024. 

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