I don't think Chelsea will be competing for the EPL title next season, they have a lot of ground to cover before they can challenge for the EPL title again, they have a new manager, too many new players that are yet to adapt, and a 'new' hierarchy at the club that's yet to understand how football works (i consider Todd Boehly to be clueless about the beautiful game). Thus, next season Chelsea will be in the race for a top four finish, and if they can add one of the domestic cups to it (either the FA Cup or Carabao cup), then it would be a good first season for Pochettino.
Of course, it is very difficult for Chelsea to be able to compete for the EPL title this season. Moreover, Chelsea is making a lot of player changes by selling several core players and maybe this is one of the best choices for Chelsea at the moment with a new coach. because if you continue to force the ego of star players to get bigger and disturb the balance of the club and tend to fight Pochettino. I think Tood Boehly wants to erase fans' memories of Abramovich. So if later Chelsea won the title, you could say this was the Chelsea era of Tood Bolhy. We can see that the leadership styles of the two are very different.
I also agree with you about new players and many young players, of course, they are still fresh, and they can easily adapt and follow the manager's directions. Maybe Chelsea's target this season to finish in the top four has been considered successful, especially if they can get the FA Cup and Carabao Cup maybe this will restore the confidence of the team that performed poorly last season.