Todd Boehly risks Chelsea revolt over Pochettino as ‘distraught’ stars love ‘best man-manager’
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly would risk a dressing room revolt at Stamford Bridge if he was to sack Mauricio Pochettino, with the players convinced “he is not the problem”.
Pochettino accused his players of “giving up” in Tuesday’s mauling by Arsenal, which leaves Chelsea facing an uphill task to qualify for Europe next season.
‘The best man-manager in the business’
The Argentinian has consistently urged fans to be patient with his very expensively assembled but very young squad and The Sun claim the players are convinced he’s the man for the job despite the growing pressure.
A source told The Sun: “They are all buying into what Poch is trying to do. The problems at Chelsea are not all his fault. Some of the players think he is the best man-manager in the business.
“If Poch gets sacked it won’t go down well at all. He is not the problem.”
It’s claimed Chelsea are insisting it’s ‘business as usual’ despite the 5-0 defeat to their London rivals, though reports claim a review of Pochettino’s position will take place at the end of the season, at which point the 52-year-old will have 12 months to run on his contract.
Sacking Pochettino would make him the third managerial casualty in just two years since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took charge of the club after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were both shown the door.
Young players ‘distraught’ after Arsenal defeat
Some of the young players were said to be “distraught” after the Arsenal game, with Pochettino reportedly ‘preferring to send his downcast players head home and ponder the result instead of risking heated fallouts in the immediate aftermath of the humbling defeat’.
The squad was given the day off on Wednesday but will resume training on Thursday ahead of Saturday night’s trip to take on Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.
“It’s difficult to explain,” Pochettino said after Chelsea’s heaviest defeat in a London derby for nearly 40 years.
“We started the first half in a very bad way, we showed no energy and we didn’t compete, and in the second half we started in the same way.
“We were speaking a lot at half time trying to fix that situation, but it was so easy for Arsenal to score two goals in the second half.
“We didn’t compete like a team, that is so clear. We are inconsistent for different reasons.
“To start the game in the way that we started is not acceptable, that is the problem.
“After 70/80 minutes, OK you are tired and don’t have the energy, but it was the start of the game.
“The way that we started was really painful, and I feel so disappointed because if we want to compete, we don’t only have to go there and play football, we also have to have more energy and focus.
“That is the most difficult thing to explain.”
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