Chelsea’s hunt for their new manager is getting closer to a decision following weeks of discussions. After Julian Naglesmann withdrew from contention last week, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the frontrunner.
The Argentine’s best managerial stint was at Chelsea’s London rivals Spurs when he established the team as a consistent Champions League contender. Pochettino improbably led them to the Champions League final in his last full season, which they finally lost to Liverpool, before he was fired no less than six months later.
Since then, he has led Paris Saint-Germain as manager and won his first managerial hardware. Pochettino has been unemployed since the summer of 2018, but he may soon be back in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Pochettino was considered for the Chelsea manager role when Thomas Tuchel was fired, but the club’s co-controlling owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, ultimately decided to hire Graham Potter instead. However, with his departure, the door is now again open for Pochettino to fill the position.
The Chelsea scouting department is aware that Mauricio Pochettino will use the resources at his disposal before suggesting any player transfer. This is a guy who worked miracles at Tottenham with little net spending, going through two transfer windows in a row without adding any new players.
There are several bright players on the team, and they would do well under Pochettino’s system of aggressive pressing, rapid attacking transitions, overloads, and constructing from the back.
There is sufficient flexibility to modify the strategy for a mid-block that is compact and well-organized. Pochettino’s sides have often targeted the opposing fullbacks in their attacks, an area where Chelsea excels.
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Porchetino’s Record and Portfolio as a Manager
His appointment would be good for a lot of players, but Mykhailo Mudryk really stands out. Pochettino, though, will be merciless in his pruning of an overblown roster in order to eliminate anybody who isn’t up to par with the standards or his tactical expectations.
- He also excels at maintaining connections with those in positions of authority. Pochettino has never publicly criticised Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, despite having repeatedly pushed for a roster refresh in the years leading up to his dismissal in 2019.
- They continue to get along well, and that extends to the upper ranks of PSG as well. This is informative, considering the involvement of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali as co-owners of Chelsea.
- Except for the French giants, Pochettino has always outperformed expectations. As Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, and Thomas Tuchel have all shown, the issue with PSG is not the manager but the team itself.
- Despite being Espanyol’s third shot in the dark that season, Pochettino kept them from relegation. He led them to an unprecedented eighth-place finish and a Copa del Rey quarterfinal triumph against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
- Under his leadership, Southampton showed courage, earning victories over Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea while also playing to draws against Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City. In the 2013–14 season, he led the club to its highest point total in Premier League history and ensured a sizable profit from player sales.
- Despite having the smallest budget of the ‘Big Six’ and being trampled in the market by them, Pochettino transformed Tottenham in front of our eyes, taking them from a laughing stock to Champions League regulars (and finalists in 2019) and domestic challengers.
Spurs’ fortunes have plummeted since he left, and the team’s devoted fan base, as well as its players and coaching staff, all wish they were closer than ever to reintroducing him.
Chelsea, on the other hand, may be considered for the role. The club fired Tuchel, who led them to a Champions League title, and then seven months later they fired his successor, who they said was just the beginning of a longer-term plan.
Graham Potter’s coaching style was undermined by a recruiting plan that left him with players he didn’t want. The decision to bring in Frank Lampard as a temporary solution reflected more emotion than strategy. His stats are as follows: 4 games, 4 losses, 7 goals conceded, 1 goal scored.
Pochettino is an outstanding fit for Chelsea. The team has to show why they should be the elite manager’s next stop.
The remaining Chelsea fixtures for the 22/23 Season
- Premier League matchup between Chelsea and Brentford on April 26 at 7:45 p.m.
- On May 2nd, you can watch Chelsea play away from home against Arsenal in the Premier League at 5:30 pm (local time).
- Premier League match against Bournemouth (away) at 3:00 on May 6
- Premier League matchup on Sunday, May 13 at 3 pm (local time): Nottingham Forest (H).
- On May 21, at 4 pm, Manchester City (A)
- Premier League match between Man United and Chelsea, May 25; kickoff at 8:00 p.m at Old Trafford.
- Premier League matchup on Sunday, May 28 at 4:30 pm (ET) at Newcastle (H).
