Chelsea have just sacked their manager Mauricio Pochettino, or at least mutually agreed to part ways.
This is a shock to the wider footballing world, but to those of us following the breadcrumbs, the clues have been there. The lack of mention in the end of season programme notes, for example, or the coach’s admission this was “not my team.”
Still, how did it come to this after a strong run to end the season? The coach seemed to have achieved the objectives laid out for him, despite a quite incredible run of injuries and operating with an incredibly young and inexperienced group.
The 3 reasons key to Pochettino sacking
Jacob Steinberg’s piece in the Guardian has the most detail, and it has 3 main reasons for why the Argentine was let go, despite a recent upturn in results.
Firstly, as hinted at in leaks yesterday, it seems that Pochettino was growing frustrated by a lack of say in how the squad building worked, and a desire to be given “more power,” as Steinberg puts it. This likely is a direct conflict over things like the sales of Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, both of whom were key players for the manager.
Then there were the worries about his “antiquated” training methods which a source criticised.
Finally, it’s noted that “transfers were a source of friction,” with Pochettino wanting more experience while the sporting directors prioritised the “project” – signing young players on long contracts with the hope they’ll improve and increase their value.
One aspect which hasn’t been considered is the impact on the players. They all loved Pochettino, and this will be a massive shock to them. Of course that’s not the main consideration when making calls like this, but it’s certainly going to damage morale in the short term.
