Chelsea Manager Mouricio Pochettino has been sacked in shocking scene this morning by the Management after fans demands his dismissal
Mauricio Pochettino has the backing of his Chelsea players, despite uncertainties over his future in the summer, according to Marc Cucurella.
Pochettino is under pressure as his first season as Blues manager draws to a close. Chelsea is seventh in the Premier League, 19 points behind the top four, having won only 13 of their 33 games.
The team is drastically underperforming, having spent over £1 billion on players since Todd Boehly’s group took management little over two years ago. The administration was claimed to be’seriously contemplating’ sacking Pochettino in the summer, following Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing and Manchester City’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat.
Things looked to be getting worse for Pochettino’s side when they fell behind 2-0 against Aston Villa on Saturday, but they rallied to draw 2-2 – and would have won if VAR had not controversially ruled out Axel Disasi’s late goal. Cucurella feels Pochettino has Chelsea on the right track and deserves more time.
When asked if the second-half comeback against Villa demonstrated the players’ desire to keep Pochettino, he told the Evening Standard: “Yes, without a doubt. He talked really effectively at halftime, and everyone witnessed how the players reacted. We don’t win many games, which is part of the game, but I believe it is more of a concern since we have the quality but don’t show it.
“When we lose 5-0, I don’t believe the manager can do anything. I believe it is more about us (the players), specifically our mentality. He has helped many of us, he has excellent communication abilities, and the staff is behind him. We are doing well. We all need to develop every week, stay at the same level, and have the same mindset every minute if we want to win. “If we stick together, we can do great things.”
The performance against Villa was encouraging for Pochettino, who conceded that they had “given up” in the second half against Arsenal. Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher scored excellent goals before Disasi’s stunning header was ruled off for a shove by Benoit Badashile in the box.
Mauricio Pochettino gets backing from his Chelsea players. (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images.))
When Pochettino joined Chelsea at the start of the season, he signed a two-year deal with the option to extend it by another year. However, the dismissal of his predecessor, Graham Potter, less than seven months into a five-year contract, demonstrates Stamford Bridge’s short-term mentality.
Pochettino has requested clarification from co-owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, as well as sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. He has already began planning for the summer transfer window and pre-season, but the prospect of sacking looms over him. Chelsea return to play against Tottenham on Thursday, before finishing the season with games against West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, and Bournemouth.
