Chelsea have sacked Mauricio Pochettino, a move that has shocked a lot of people despite the hints in the last few weeks that it could be coming as the uncertainty about his future grew.
The surprise comes from the fact that the Blues were doing well at last in the league, and Pochettino’s departure comes just as he completed the best run of league results we’ve had under the new ownership.
More than in some past sackings, where the coach’s departure has seemed to come in part (or almost entirely) because they’ve lost the dressing room, this is quite the opposite situation. The players loved Pochettino, and made that really clear whenever he was under pressure.
He’s known for his ability to connect with players, and that was essential this year as the pressure rose. Plenty of other coaches would have cracked, but he was able to keep things pretty steady. In the end, it didn’t help him.
A potential new issue developing
All of this means we could see an interesting and unique situation develop where the players start to lose faith in the ownership because of their decisions. Some of these guys have only been here for two years and have seen 3 of their coaches sacked. What on earth must they think of the owners and sporting directors who are picking these guys and then sacking them? Have we ever seen ownership (rather than management) lose the dressing room? It’s not like the players can do much given the contracts they’re on, but it creates a nightmare for morale.
The reaction to the news has already started reaching their social media, and we expect plenty more in the days to come. The first reactions are coming out on social media, with players thanking Pochettino. Of course they’d do this with any manager, but just from listening to them this season you can tell they really mean it this time.