Mauricio Pochettino has been the centre of some immense praise for his role in turning Chelsea not only from uncertain mess losing at home to Brentford just two weeks ago but also 12th place struggles and with an identity crisis for much of the past 18 months. The former Tottenham boss was yet to really win over most Blues fans but a lot of that changed in the space of five days.

The 51-year-old had attracted criticism in the early weeks for countless reasons. Being too pragmatic with his team selection, playing Conor Gallagher, not playing Mykhailo Mudryk and then playing him, injuries, failing to break down low-blocks, Nicolas Jackson, man-management, substitutions, erratic finishing from the players, lack of a clear playing style, no attacking patterns, and more were all chucked at him.

Most of this is pointless naff without any evidence. Chelsea have been a club in transition for a while and Pochettino, coming in with a host of new players and a mountain of unfit players, wasn't able to change it overnight. The Blues were questioned, slammed, harrassed, harrangued and beaten down in the public, the spending numbers were inflating with every missed shot and Pochettino's history came back as further so-called proof that he wasn't the man to be the man at Stamford Bridge.

His inability to make Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar into a splendind attacking trident was used to justify why he wouldn't ever work in SW6 and his trophyless reign at Tottenham obviously meant that 'winning mentality' simply wasn't in his DNA. This came to a head when he openly admitted that he had feelings for Spurs and that he didn't yet love Chelsea.

It is with this background and the underlying history that those that lose to Tottenham are rarely remembered well, let alone those that openly sympathise with the club, that he entered the biggest week of his return to the club, one that promised to define him.

Two games, 13 goals, two red cards, three penalties, over 15 minutes of VAR checks and four points later, Chelsea are now on the up. Pochettino has stuck it into his old club where it hurts, he has taken the game to Pep Guardiola and done it with Marc Cucurella at left-back. His anger and visible frustration at referee Anthony Taylor at full-time on Sunday had echos of Thomas Tuchel, that's always a good sign for the fans.

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Stamford Bridge has never been louder, the players are united and standing firm, showing character and finally getting some reward for the graft put in. Pochettino feels like a Chelsea manager now that the team can get behind and he has been driving force behind the ongoing cultural change at the club.

"The best thing about Chelsea right now is Mauricio Pochettino, not the players or the owners," Jamie Carragher claimed after the game on Sunday. It was, perhaps, harsh on a group that includes Raheem Sterling, Reece James, Enzo Fernandez and Thiago Silva, but there is merit to his words.

"When you talk about them getting back to winning trophies, I'm not sure they could have got a better manager that was available." He continued: "I think there’s a lot to feel good about at Chelsea, Pochettino right now, his young team, there’s a lot of optimism there because they have a manager who can go up against the best."

However, the unsatiable desire to win at Chelsea and the ever-looming shadow of what the club has done and has been before remains. In reality Chelsea are building from being 12th last year not from being champions, Simon Jordan, though, has questions over just what Pochettino can achieve at SW6.

"I don't see him as having that winning gene," he told talkSPORT. "I don't think he will be the person who takes Chelsea to the place that they want to be. I think he will be a bit more than the part Eddie Howe will play at Newcastle. But I think he will play a part in making sure Todd Boehly starts to understand what really running a football club involves and what really employing managers who win Leagues involves."

It is, in a sense, similar to the post-Sir Alex Ferguson world at Manchester United or not wanting to be the manager after but maybe the one next on the line. That didn't work out at Old Trafford but at Chelsea Pochettino is the guy after the guy following Tuchel, something which may come to his advantage.

"But Pochettino is one of the best of the rest and there is a very unique gang, a very small gang," Jordan continued. "We like to use the term world-class for players and spread it around like confetti. There are only a few of those around, but everyone who has a good few games is world-class.

"There are only a few elite managers, Carlo Ancelotti is one of them, Pep Guardiola clearly one of them and Jurgen Klopp. Pochettino is a very good manager who will get a decent Chelsea side in and around the top four."

Ultimately Chelsea would surely take that from here. They are nine points off Aston Villa in fifth - a position which may well reward Champions League football come the end of the season - but are getting stronger on and off the pitch every passing day.

There is a financial burden on being in Europe next year though due to the mass spending and cost-spreading of the past three windows. From 12th to fifth for Pochettino would be a big achievement regardless of money, especially given the change, and most would be content enough to see this team learn to fight and compete, something they are finally starting to do.

For Gary Neville this was always something likely to happen. He was quick to call on Pochettino having a huge impact at the club as early as May, before he had even been announced as manager.

"I do actually think Chelsea, if they can get to the end of the seasson which they obviously will, and they can appoint a manager in the summer and the talk is of Pochettino, someone will be able to mould them into a decent team that can challenge for the top four and for trophies next season," he said.

"That's how bad this team is at this moment in time. I think they're capable of that, that's what makes it even worse. I think they can actually be a real challenger in the top three. People might think I'm mad after what we watched last night but that's what makes it worse for me.

"The players have stooped to such a level, we saw it with Manchester United last season. They're third or fourth in the league at this moment in time but last season under Ralf Ragnick they chucked the towel in.

"They've chucked the towel in those Chelsea players, they're not bothering at all. They may as well not turn up. They're not going to go down are they but if they weren't sort of mathematically safe, if they were on 42 points and you were Frank Lampard you'd leave them all out and play a bunch of kids."

Of the Chelsea XI that played on the night that Neville spoke, a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United, only three have started more than two league games this season and that includes none of the defence. In the nine substitutes just two are still at the club now and only one has actually played under Pochettino in a competitive game.

This is the scale of change Pochettino is working with and perhaps explains why the Blues aren't currently on course to be in the top three as Neville predicted. They are, however, in a cup quarter final with the FA Cup yet to start for them, and unbeaten in four league games against the top four.

It is progress from last term without a doubt but still leaves room for scepticism, though even that is dying with the strong performances against those towards the summit of the table