With not too many elite managerial choices in the market, Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea FC could turn out to be a very shrewd piece of business.
To say that Chelsea, in the post-Abramovich era, have a history of going through managers like a hot knife through butter, would be an understatement. It is 2016 and here we are going through yet another interim manager spell, when in fact, everyone was expecting the Second Mourinho Era to be a fairytale story. But that is now just water under the bridge, as all and sundry have now resorted to speculate on who will be the next permanent manager of Chelsea (not a joke, we really want a (more) permanent one).
While many among us might pray for Pep Guardiola (and his wife) to be charmed by what London and Roman Abramovich can offer, one interesting name, as claimed by the Independent, to be thrown into the hat is that of the current Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.
This young Argentine has firmly made a name for himself in the EPL coaching circles, first with Southampton and now, more impressively, with our cross town rivals, Spurs (who, interestingly, in the last decade have also gone through a similar number of managerial changes as Chelsea).
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What does Pochettino bring to the table?
Pochettino has always favoured high-pressing football and his teams are known to play an attractive game, often resulting in high scoring contests. I think all of us remember the 2015 New Year’s Day game vs Spurs, one which we lost 3-5 and one which, as Ejoh Celestine rightly points out, became the turning point for the events that have unfolded over the last one year. And for as long as we can remember, Abramovich has always wanted Chelsea to play attractive football and that is something not usually attributed to most Chelsea teams of the last decade (except probably that of Carlo Ancelotti’s). So in that regard, Pochettino ticks Box No.1.
In his quest to make Chelsea a top team, Abramovich has pumped in a lot of money, especially into the development of the academy & the youth teams. Those investments have also paid off in a big way, as seen in the recent, continuous successes of our youth teams and in our youth players being wanted by teams across Europe. But where it has failed is in the transition of these youth players into the Chelsea first team. And this is one grouse that almost all Chelsea fans have against the management, especially against Mourinho. What hurts is not just the fact that John Terry was the last graduate to make that successful transition, but also that some of our young players were simply moved on and to our detriment have now found remarkable success with our rivals.
This is where Pochettino ticks Box No.2. His time in the EPL has included successes with youth and no two names pop up more than Harry Kane and, more recently, Dele Alli. Considering that some of our young players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek are waiting for that break and for some faith to be shown in them, Pochettino’s appointment might finally be the tonic that the doctor ordered for the club.
As the Independent further points out, Pochettino also ticks Boxes No. 3 and 4, in terms of having a more affable, low profile personality (even Ancelotti was one) and in also being EPL-ready. While a chequered manager like Guardiola found it easy in Spain and Germany, despite his record there is no guarantee of success in the EPL. You must consider the tougher, more open competition in England (a case in point being this season, where a relegation escapee is the current table topper and the defending champions Chelsea seem to have swapped places with them). Also, you have to pose the eternal question of whether a team can do it on a cold night in Stoke.
A Box No.5 that Pochettino ticks is the fact that, at 43, he is a young manager. Abramovich too favours a manager who can build a dynasty at Chelsea and being young, Pochettino fits the bill. Mourinho, in his 1st stint, was also around the same age. Add Chelsea’s bigger budget and better academy into the picture, that might all be that Pochettino requires to bring a string of successes to both Chelsea and himself.
What are the obstacles?
The primary obstacles are Pochettino’s relatively low experience, especially with regard to a big club, in juggling domestic and European commitments and in the lack of tangible successes, in terms of trophies.
To put into perspective, pre-Chelsea, Mourinho, had about four years of managerial experience, while Pochettino has about 7 years of such experience. Also, Mourinho came in from a much smaller league, while Pochettino is already EPL-ready and is at a fairly big club that gets a lot of media attention and whose owner is quite trigger-happy when it comes to firing managers.
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So Pochettino would know what he is getting into with Chelsea. In the end, it was Mourinho’s trophy achievements, especially two successive European titles with Porto, that got him the Chelsea job and it is the only department in which Pochettino lags behind. But, for all you know, he may even win something with Spurs this year, considering their red hot form and thus that one final little box might get ticked as well.
That we have consistently managed to find success, despite managerial instability, though a different story, is not a completely unrelated one. Mourinho, in his first stint and Ranieri, before him, to an extent played their roles in ensuring that the team had a good crop of players to last a decade and more. All of Pochettino’s attributes seem to point towards him having similar traits.
Considering the lack of elite managerial choices in the market, especially with Guardiola rumoured to not want Chelsea, I’d favour either the retention of Hiddink (short-term) or the appointment of someone like Pochettino (long-term). If we are able to look beyond his Spurs stint and lack of titles, Pochettino could be a shrewd choice for Chelsea. A coup d’etat even.
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So what do you think of this rumoured linkup? Would you like to see Pochettino at Chelsea? Will he succeed at Stamford Bridge? Do drop in your comments below.