The Blues, who fell 1-0 at Riverside Stadium in their first encounter, will visit Middlesbrough in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

In Pochettino’s first season with the team, Chelsea would be one game away from winning a major title if they were to overcome their first-leg deficit.

Merson, however, has forewarned the Argentine that Chelsea’s season may “fall apart” in just four days.

Chelsea’s season is in its final week and might end in four days. Merson stated to Sky Sports.

They’ll eliminate a formidable team from the FA Cup as well if they triumph against Middlesbrough in their Carabao Cup semi-final and then defeat Aston Villa. Then it doesn’t seem so horrible when you’re only a few points out of sixth place.

It’s a vital few days for Chelsea because, in my opinion, they won’t be able to defeat Aston Villa on Friday night if they don’t get to the final on Tuesday.What would become of Mauricio Pochettino if they lost to Middlesbrough? Middlesbrough will make an effort to leave and annoy Chelsea.

They must take it gradually, perhaps for ten or twenty minutes at a time. I’ll be surprised if Middlesbrough doesn’t win after the first twenty minutes. Since Chelsea rarely blows opponents away, Middlesbrough will have a lengthy lead in this match.In the opening game, Cole Palmer simply had one of those days. He is a great player, and despite his lack of natural finishing ability, I don’t think his performance shows that he can’t compete at the highest level.

“With all due respect, it’s normal that he went through the one-on-one and dragged it past the post.” It simply demonstrated that it didn’t land at his feet the other day.