Why Pochettino’s departure represents the Chelsea board’s latest failure
Chelsea FC announced on Tuesday they would be parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino a year after he signed as the club’s head coach.
In what came across as a shock decision after Pochettino guided the Blues to European football, it was confirmed that the Argentine left by mutual consent. “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity,” he remarked.
“The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
Performance
When the final whistle blew following the 2-1 win against AFC Bournemouth, an air of optimism was felt around Stamford Bridge for the first time in many seasons.
After the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of cross-city rivals Arsenal, Chelsea embarked on a six-game unbeaten run that included five wins on the bounce. Eventually, they finished above Newcastle and Manchester United.
The upturn in fortunes was largely due to Pochettino’s systems.
Renowned for his friendly approach to personnel management, he won over an inexperienced crop of players in just 12 months. Based on what’s being said, the players must be unhappy with his departure.
Pochettino inherited a squad that had the touches of the previous managers at Chelsea – under Todd Boehly’s regime, the Blues have now had five coaches in roughly two years with increasingly stagnating standards.
Still, he masterminded a high-yielding front three. To weigh the volume of his work, Kai Havertz was Chelsea’s top scorer last season with seven goals. As many as seven players usurped that record this term, with Cole Palmer topping the league charts for goals plus assists.
Chelsea scored 18% of their season’s goals after the 80th minute. Under Graham Potter or Frank Lampard, they would often crumble once the team fell behind in a game.
As refreshing a personality as he is, Pochettino demanded the highest standards from the players and heightened the team first mentality. The result was comebacks against Aston Villa and late winners versus Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
Let’s also not forget they reached a cup final this year as well.
Managerial merry-go-round
Just when it seemed like Chelsea were putting the pieces of the puzzle together with Pochettino, management decided to lean on analytics from the season before coming to a conclusion that the parties should go their separate ways.
Pochettino, according to Fabrizio Romano, wasn’t on the same page with the owners regarding his say in the transfers or future projects that the club is focused on.
As far as fans are concerned, another spark of instability will muddle their focus on the larger picture. No one will become what the board considers a ‘long-term fit’ if they cannot contest for trophies under a coaching team for an extended period of time.
And if they believe Chelsea haven’t met expectations, it begs the question as to why they parted with a process-based coach in Graham Potter two years ago.
Matt Law’s story states that the owners and directors are considering a young, progressive coach who will play possession-based football, stiffen up the defence and challenge for trophies. That’s a few boxes Potter himself would have ticked, underscoring how valuable patience can be in a fast-moving football world.
A return for former managers Thomas Tuchel and Jose Mourinho isn’t in the cards yet. However, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß and Ruben Amorim have been reviewed.
Pochettino’s recruitment was lengthy and deeply examined. It was a mission from the Chelsea board to get it right after initial mistakes. But after 11 months, they’re back to the drawing board, testing yet another managerial profile.
The Conor conundrum
Chelsea’s academy star Conor Gallagher had a dream season under Pochettino, who made it clear that he wanted the midfielder to stay at his boyhood club.
“He has always told me it is to stay in Chelsea. He still has one year more on his contract. It’s a matter with him and the club,” said Pochettino, after Gallagher scored twice in injury time against Crystal Palace to win the game for the Blues.
The English international was a mainstay in Chelsea’s midfield, registering 37 starts in the Premier League this season. He played alongside Moises Caicedo in a double pivot, where Chelsea played some of their best football.
The 24-year-old netted seven goals and added nine assists in total, amidst a season plagued with injuries across the field. He also deputized for Reece James and Ben Chilwell with the armband.
If that isn’t enough, Gallagher has been involved in rumours many a time but has always been committed to shining at Chelsea.
But every professional has a breaking point. And with a year left on his contract and the hierarchy looking to secure profit out of homegrown players, they could push Gallagher to leave.
As for Pochettino, he wanted his relatively experienced players Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah to continue representing the club.
Inevitably, the consortium has shown it can repeat the same mistake over and over again, and some fear it could be another Mason Mount situation in the making.
Pochettino’s departure represents the Chelsea board’s latest – and perhaps the biggest – failure to date.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ank Kumar. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.