Mauricio Pochettino is the manager who can help mine the £600m investment made by Chelsea this season. Adam Lallana can recall every detail because the recollection is still so fresh. When Pochettino entered Southampton’s locker room for the first time in January 2013, the midfielder referred to it as “an awakening” before he gave his welcome talk before practice. At that moment, the Argentine had only started a two-hour English class that his wife had scheduled, but he had a fascinating presence. Pochettino has a propensity for leaving a lasting impression on his players rather than just a powerful initial one. Philippe Coutinho was converted at Espanyol from an Inter castaway to a magnificent player who would, directly and indirectly, contribute to Liverpool’s golden era under Jurgen Klopp. He spared Espanyol from relegation against all odds.
Pochettino’s influence on Harry Kane at Tottenham, who was the fourth striker when he arrived, is well known. When the team wanted to turn, he persuaded Spurs to continue with Heung-Min Son, and he went above and above to rebuild Ryan Mason as a player and a person. Pochettino was able to maintain control of the locker room even during the spectacular Paris Saint-Germain performance, where egos went crazy. Unlike the fights that marked the periods before and after, there were no significant public fallouts during his reign.
Pochettino manages players by first disarming and then empowering them. He gives an adventure to join and a subscription to the common good. Pochettino is well-known to Chelsea. They are aware of everything. They made two attempts to hire the 51-year-old at Stamford Bridge under the reign of Roman Abramovich, both times through Marina Granovskaia, who had the highest regard for him. But now is the time when the club is most in need of his abilities. Chelsea needs someone who can unlock their investment after investing £600 million in a massively bloated team. Despite having a lot of skill, the group lacks direction and confidence. They are ready for Pochettino’s enthusiasm, attitude, and particular brand of conviction, which Dejan Lovren famously compared to “becoming a man.”
The Chelsea hiring team is aware that Mauricio Pochettino would use the resources at his disposal rather than suggesting moves. A rarity in the Premier League, this man worked wonders at Tottenham with little to no net spending, lasting two consecutive transfer windows without bringing in a new player. Pochettino’s demands for a high press, rapid attacking transitions, overloads, and constructing from the back would be easily met by the team’s abundance of intelligent players. Additionally, there is sufficient adaptability to change the strategy to a tidy, mid-block design. The full-backs have typically been the focus of Pochettino’s teams’ attacks; Chelsea are particularly strong in this position.
Mykhailo Mudryk shouts out a long list of players who stand to gain from his appointment. However, Pochettino will also be ruthless in whittling down a bloated roster and eliminating individuals not up to par with his tactical requirements or expectations. Additionally, he excels at maintaining connections with influential people. Pochettino has never once publicly criticized Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, despite pleading with him earnestly for a revamp of the team in the years before his dismissal in 2019. They continue to get along, and the hierarchy at PSG is also in agreement. This seems to be an illuminating point given the hands-on approach that Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali take.
Except for the Titans of France, Pochettino has always outperformed expectations. With Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, and Thomas Tuchel demonstrating that PSG itself is the issue and not the coach, he is in good company in that regard. Pochettino, their third attempt at the dice in 2008–09, saved Espanyol from the drop by breaking convention. He led them to an unbelievable eighth-place finish after defeating Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal.
Under his leadership, Southampton displayed bravery by defeating Manchester City, Liverpool (twice), and Chelsea and drawing with Arsenal, Manchester United (twice), and City. In 2013–14, he helped the team earn a sizable profit on player sales and helped them achieve their best Premier League point total at the time. Tottenham was transformed under Pochettino in front of our eyes from a laughingstock to Champions League regulars (2019 finalists) and domestic challengers despite having the smallest budget of the “Big Six” and being outbid by them in the market.
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