"Where are your leaders in that group?" - Ex-PL manager explains why Mauricio Pochettino can't take all the blame for Chelsea's troubles

Former Premier League manager Alan Pardew believes Chelsea's lack of leaders in the dressing room has contributed to the club's poor start this season.

The Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat to Everton in their latest Premier League match on Sunday (December 10) after losing 2-1 to Manchester United midweek (December 6).

After these consecutive losses, the west London side find themselves 12th in the Premier League table, with just 19 points in 16 matches. They're level on points with Wolves and Bournemouth, who are 13th and 14th, respectively, nudging ahead due to a better goal difference.

Pardew told talkSPORT in defense of Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino:

"I don’t care what manager you are, where are your leaders in that group? Who is driving that team? You've got a young boy Caicedo in midfield, you've got Fernandes, Palmer, Mudryk who can't find his feet. You've got Broja at the top of the pitch. There seems to be so many issues to me."

Addressing the amount of time the former Spurs manager will get with the Blues fans, Pardew added:

"At the moment, in my opinion, he's got some grace with the team he has. I think they need to see something on the football pitch that starts resembling a way of playing."

Unfortunately for Chelsea, skipper Reece James was able to play just 26 minutes of the clash against Everton due to a hamstring injury. James has been absent for nine matches this season and will almost certainly miss more as a result of his latest fitness issue.

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Mauricio Pochettino claims that Chelsea 'played well' in the 2-0 loss to Everton

Mauricio Pochettino (via Getty Images)

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino claimed his side played well despite losing 2-0 to Everton on Sunday. The Blues managed to keep 73% possession while registering 16 attempts compared to Everton's nine.

However, the west Londoners recorded just four shots on target as opposed to the Toffees' five. Stating that his side need to take their chances after dominating matches, Pochettinio said (via Football London):

"We were not able today with all of the chances we had. We need to score if we want to win the game and we want to be in a different position in the table. It is not only to play, the team played well, dominated the game against a very difficult team like Everton."

Amid mounting pressure, Chelsea will be expected to win their next league fixture against a struggling Sheffield United on Saturday (December 16). The Blades are last in the English top flight, having managed just eight points so far.