JUST IN: Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has new issue as Middlesbrough loss ups sack pressure.

Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are determined to avoid acting too soon and making the same mistakes that were made in firing Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. Chelsea is now three points behind Brighton in the Premier League standings, but they are only three points behind the league leaders.

However, with such a youthful core with only Thiago Silva and a few other seniors in the squad, Pochettino’s leadership has come under scrutiny. At the beginning of the season, Reece James and Ben Chilwell were named captain and vice-captain, respectively, however Conor Gallagher has mostly worn the armband while they were out due to injuries.

Despite the fact that Gallagher’s associates have acknowledged that he lacks leadership qualities, it remains unclear why Pochettino has felt the need to designate him as captain multiple times this season.

Levi Colwill even stepped in and took the armband during Chelsea’s December loss to Manchester United. Silva and Raheem Sterling, two of the club’s most seasoned players, have not led the team at all.