Inside Pochettino’s Chelsea downfall as he ‘didn’t trust £220m pair’ and started ace in position he never played before
MAURICIO POCHETTINO reportedly questioned whether £220million Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo would make a good midfield pairing.
And he also left players scratching their heads after starting one ace in a position he had no experience in.
Pochettino departed Chelsea this week after leading the club to a sixth place finish.
The Blues recovered from a rocky period to win five in a row and seal their return to Europe.
Yet an end of season review with the owners did not go well.
And Poch’s exit was claimed by Chelsea to be by “mutual consent.”
The Blues are now lining up a new boss, with Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Leicester’s Enzo Maresca the leading candidates.
While Poch is in Manchester United’s sights if they sack Erik ten Hag, and is even a candidate to replace Gareth Southgate as England boss.
However, the Athletic claims the Argentine may have been the architect of his own downfall after going against the grain at several points in the season.
Concerns were raised on the training ground over his “limited” sessions.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Poch is known for focusing on fitness, and this may have been linked with the Blues’ massive injury list.
Elsewhere, the boss left players miffed when he selected one ace to play in a position he’d never featured in.
Pochettino’s Chelsea record
MAURICIO POCHETTINO had just started to turn Chelsea around.
An impressive run of end-of-season form saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a Europa League spot.
But it wasn’t enough to keep him in a job as it was announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine had left.
Here are all Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:
Premier League – 6th
FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)
Carabao Cup – Runners-up (Lost to Liverpool)
Total record:
Games 51
Wins 26
Draws 11
Defeats 14
Goals for 103
Goals against 74
The unnamed star didn’t even get time to train there after being told about Poch’s decision just hours before a crunch match.
Several players have played out of position at Chelsea this season.
Ben Chilwell started the season in an attacking left-wing role, with centre-back Levi Colwill filling in his regular position at left-back.
Cole Palmer also had several cracks at playing as a striker, with Nicolas Jackson occasionally seen on the left wing.
Left-back Marc Cucurella played at right-back at various points, as did centre-back Axel Disasi.
While right-back Malo Gusto was sometimes shunted to the other flank too.
Who could be the next Chelsea manager?
HERE are the seven names in the running to replace Mauricio Pochettino after his shock exit from Chelsea.
Roberto De Zerbi
The Italian left Brighton at the end of the season after a year and a half in charge. He was linked with a host of top jobs earlier in the campaign but a difficult run of results saw him fall out of contention for the likes of Liverpool. De Zerbi’s attacking, front-foot style would be popular at Stamford Bridge.
Kieran McKenna
The former Manchester United assistant has led Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League. That has seen his stock shoot through the roof and he may be tempted to jump ship for a big job.
Enzo Maresca
Maresca was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and has worked wonders at Leicester, settling the ship to send the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Appointing a Pep disciple has turned Arsenal into title contenders, so it could work for Chelsea too.
Hansi Flick
Flick was one of football’s most in-demand managers after winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich. But it all went wrong in his next role becoming the first manager ever to be sacked by Germany. Now he’s ready to return and could be a smart move for the Blues
Sebastian Hoeness
Chelsea fans may not have heard of him, but Hoeness is Germany’s next big thing. Hoeness has transformed Stuttgart from relegation candidates to the second best team in the Bundesliga, finishing above Bayern Munich. Only invincible Bayer Leverkusen got in the way of a miracle.
Michel
Michel Sanchez has worked wonders with little Girona in Spain. The minnows were right in the LaLiga title race at Christmas before watching Real Madrid shoot into the distance. But they ran illustrious Catalan neighbours Barcelona all the way for second and are guaranteed a spot on the Champions League. Reports in Spain say that has caught Chelsea’s attention.
Jose Mourinho
Still adored by fans at Stamford Bridge, who never warmed to former Spurs boss Pochettino, Mourinho would be a popular pick. Winner of three Premier League with the Blues across two topsy-turvy spells, could he be the man to take Chelsea back to the top?
Finally, Pochettino is said to have openly questioned the effectiveness of record midfield signings Fernandez and Caicedo as a pairing.
The duo cost £220m between them, with each breaking the world record for midfielders, and are seen as key figures in Chelsea’s XI by the owners for the next seven or more years.
However, Poch reportedly had concerns over Fernandez’s ability as a box-to-box player.
He was not convinced by his compatriot’s attacking play, as well as his defensive work.
Likewise, Poch also questioned whether Caicedo had the skills to stay deep in midfield and link up with Chelsea’s backline.
Interestingly, the late five-game winning run came with Fernandez sidelined by a groin injury.
It allowed Caicedo to play with more freedom as Cucurella drifted inside to become a second sitting midfielder.
And the biggest issue facing Chelsea’s boss may indeed be how to finally get Caicedo and Fernandez working in tandem.
SUNSPORT'S TRANSFER NEWS LIVE
STAY in the know this summer with The Sun's transfer experts.
Man City and Newcastle are both targetting £60m rated Pedro Neto this summer, according to reports.
Aston Villa are reportedly close to resigning Ross Barkley on a permandent basis.
Arsenal ‘want to sign a new striker BEFORE their pre-season tour’.
Follow our LIVE TRANSFER BLOG for all the latest deals, gossip and exclusives.