Chelsea's Managerial Dilemma: Pros And Cons Of Sacking Pochettino
By Ishan Shah
Cons Of Sacking Pochettino
1. Chelsea's Problems Will Not Disappear:
Will sacking Pochettino solve Chelsea’s problems? Absolutely not. Sacking the 51-year-old would represent a massive failure of the west London club's Sporting Directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who hand-picked him over other candidates after months of deliberation. His successor would be chosen by the same Sporting Directors who have appointed the last three managers, none of whom have succeeded in bringing CFC back to the heights fans expect after such significant spending. Do fans trust that the Directors will get the managerial appointment right this time? Even if the Sporting Directors are also sacked, their replacements would be appointed by the same owners who oversaw record-breaking spending from the recruitment structure they invested months and millions building. Do fans trust that the owners will recruit the right personnel this time round?
2. Squad Composition:
Pochettino deserves time. While positive moments have been scarce, there are signs of a team being built. Performances against Manchester City and Arsenal have shown that this team is capable of competing against the best teams in the world on any given day. The former PSG manager has inherited a bloated squad of largely inexperienced players signed before his appointment. He or any other manager in his place would struggle in this situation.
Chelsea have the youngest squad in the Premier League this season, with an average age of 23.7 years despite 39-year-old Thiago Silva’s presence in the team. To make things even more challenging for the manager, most of the players in the squad are in their first Premier League season. The only consistency with young players is their inconsistency in performance. Every young player makes mistakes, and while the good ones learn from them and improve, this development takes time. This season marks the first time in modern football history that an elite club like Chelsea has undertaken such a risky experiment of putting together a squad of young, albeit high-potential individuals.