Chelsea Football Club are expected to make a decision over current head coach Mauricio Pochettino soon.
Despite the Argentine winning the last five games in a row, there is suggestions from a number of sources that his relationship with the owners has gone off the boil.
The large majority of players are behind him, and suggestions to the contrary would be club PR spin.
So, should Chelsea change Mauricio Pochettino?
The current feeling from many fans, including myself, is NO. This is not because of Pochettino himself, but who the club may look at should he go.
Over the years, fans were quick to point to the fact that when the players are not behind the manager, you must make a change.
Well, what about now? What about this current squad? They are behind him, they believe in him, and they play and fight for him.
Pochettino’s man management is excellent, some could argue so was Graham Potter’s, but Pochettino also gives off more authority than the latter.
Chelsea’s ownership must be careful if they do decide to make a change, they believe Pochettino is a good coach, but the fit within the model is questioned.
The model is described as sources as collaborative, but other sources suggest it is more of a “dictatorship” and “enforced” model.
Chelsea’s sporting directors will chose the players, with the coach’s only input thought to be a minimal involvement in position identification.
This model can be questioned heavily because it limits the pool of managers that would want to work within it.
Top, proven managers, will want an element of control when it comes to signings and sales, and Behdad Egbhali does not allow that.
The truth is, Egbhali is the stumbling block in all of this, on at least one occasion this season he is thought to have stopped a potential sacking of Pochettino, yet he might be the one to now pull the trigger on his departure.
Pochettino himself suggested that he stopped speaking to the owners some time ago, things aren’t as fruitful as they once were.
Going back to the model, sources have already briefed that if there is a change, that the club would be looking for a “young manager”.
Now, we don’t know the exact age bracket, but one name linked is Kieran McKenna.
McKenna, a back to back promotion winner with Ipswich town, would present another Graham Potter type situation emerge at Chelsea.
What is that situation, you say? Well, it would be another manager with huge upside, a clear and attractive style of play, but would lack the authority and respect of players, as well as struggling with the enormous media and fan pressure presented.
Chelsea is a different animal, the fans will be entering into the third season of the ownership and another rogue left field appointment will cause more annoyance.
The club have won the Europa League both times they entered the competition and there will be enormous pressure on the next manager to deliver that, as it would bring Champions League Football for the 25/26 season.
If Chelsea are to make a change, not only will Pochettino’s rep not suffer at all, hence why sources describe that “he’s not that bothered” if he goes, but Chelsea will have to find someone capable of delivering top 4 as basic progression from this season, and have the mentality, character, cojones and authority in his arsenal.
That to me sounds like a tough task, we currently have a group of players who are ready to go into next season behind Pochettino, gell together as a group more, learn from the mistakes of this season and build an even bigger bond.
Chelsea’s decision should be to keep Mauricio Pochettino.
The process will start all over again if they change, requiring even more transition period time, and it would likely cause confusion amongst the squad, and more outside noise off it.
Unless the club find a clear upgrade that ticks every box, from style of play to character to mentality to adaptability to man management, sticking with Pochettino for stability is the right decision, ahead of assessing a wider range of managers in 2025.
Artwork credit – OPTA
