Why this squad isn't being built for Poch... and why we hired him anyway

We're building a side for the long term

It’s become more and more clear as this season has gone on, that the current Chelsea mens squad isn’t being built for or around Mauricio Pochettino and his football philosophy. For example, he made very specific requests around profile of player and even some names in both the summer of 2023, and in the recent January 2024 window.

Almost all of them were ignored.

There has been reported disputes between Pochettino and the sporting directors. Part of the problem being, having too many decision makers instead of one sporting director having the final say, after consultation with the head coach and scouts, like a sensible big club would do. Too many cooks means too much indecision, no leadership, and that can be fatal at a big club competing with so many others in the market.

I’d argue most of the players Chelsea have signed in the last 12 months or so, don’t fit Pochettino’s philosophy of football too much. The one who arguably fits most, Conor Gallagher, was already here, and seems to be being auctioned off to the highest bidder, which is simply crazy whether Pochettino is staying here or not.

Rightly or wrongly, Chelsea have focussed very much on recruiting technical players, players suited to a possession based game, and almost exclusively players under 25 who are yet to reach their prime. Pochettino has regularly asked for one or two more experienced players, and more physical, PL ready players. He’s regularly been ignored, which again raises the question of why he was even appointed. More on that in a moment.

Our sporting directors clearly have a very specific footballing philosophy they are building around. Most of our players have strong technical ability and are good in possession. They are able to press well and work hard with tons of energy. That’s clearly the direction of travel for Chelsea in the next few years. Now does this mean height and power has been ignored? Absolutely not. Chelsea have the third tallest midfield in the Premier League, behind only Everton and Newcastle.

That said we are joint 18th in the Premier League in terms of average height. That said Manchester City are joint 12th, so its not exactly a correlation with success. Their centurion squad wasn’t as tall as their current squad either.

So it’s clear, our new team is being built for a very specific style of play. Which means you require a very specific style of manager as well. There’s no point in appointing a Jose Mourinho profile of manager, as our squad simply isn’t a fit. You know who also isn’t really a fit for this squad, long term? Mauricio Pochettino.

So, back to the big elephant in the room. Why was Pochettino appointed? Well, to me, other than the ‘safe pair of hands’ argument’, there’s only one logical explanation.

This squad, at this point in its development, needs a person like Pochettino. They need a coach who is good at developing young talent. This squad needs a father figure who can bring them together, build a collective team spirit, help the players develop as men, not just as players. An experienced coach who can help them through the teething problems of a young team and bring them through to their prime, ready to go.

In a way they need a coach to do for this team, what Claudio Ranieri did for the John Terry, Frank Lampard, team. Lay foundations, get the pieces in place and develop the team and the players to the point they’re ready to hit their prime, before prime Jose Mourinho came into take them to achieve their potential, in spectacular style.

Mauricio Pochettino fits the profile of what Ranieri did. The foundation builder, and to be honest, that’s at least one reason why I believe he specifically was hired, and on such a short contract (2 years with an option of a third). In those particular aspects, some of which are off the pitch, I actually think he’s doing well. The culture and team spirit is clearly there and growing. The toxicity and player power of previous years has gone. The players are fighting for each other and seem to have a good camaraderie on and off the pitch, and a growing mentality. The recent pressure on them and media stories seem to have created an “us against the world” mentality in the group, which, I have to say is very Chelsea-like and positive to see.

I do think there’s been some player development, however subtle, and certainly it seems the players are learning, bit by bit, though they clearly still have more to learn.

Without the pressure to learn a complex philosophy which other managers would bring, players have gained more confidence in themselves, more freedom to express themselves and so have improved their decision making. This will all be good for their development as players. They’ve reached a cup final as well, which is a solid achievement for this squad, and win or lose, will be a good experience for these young players. They’ve beaten some top teams in cup competitions too, and being good in cup competitions is a good habit to get into.

However, with all this, the way this squad is being built seems very intentional. Very much in the way the Manchester City squad seemed to be being built for Pep Guardiola before his arrival, our squad seems to be being built for a very modern type of coach. Lots of good technical players, good in possession, and at the high pressing game.

This Chelsea can and should, if and when it reaches its prime, be a high press, high energy team, which plays good possession based football, is good technically, and passes the ball well, forward and quickly. So, long term, we need a coach who can play this kind of football. Whoever the coach is also needs to be able to work with an develop young talent, be pragmatic enough to adapt tactically to get results (Chelsea fans have no patience for a coach to implement a specific philosophy, or slow possession football, so forget that), and of course, need to have the right kind of personality, mentality, charisma and connection with fans, to manage Chelsea.

Its not an easy role to fill, but there’s a few candidates who could do the job.

Ruben Amorim, the Sporting head coach, has been a big a favourite of the ownership for some time. His Sporting team play possession football, but with high energy and intensity, getting the ball forward, and he is pragmatic tactically when needed. He’s a proven winner, he’s shown he can manage upwards and downwards, got European experience, improves players, and is a bit of a sh*t-houser on the touchline and sometimes in press conferences, a must for any Chelsea boss. That said, he plays a 3 at the back system, so deciding to hire him would mean committing to that, which has to be taken into consideration.

Xabi Alonso, who is working wonders at Leverkusen, would normally be a candidate, though he is likely to join Liverpool or Bayern. Arne Slot from Feyenoord, who plays a technical, possession based, high pressing game in the same 4-2-3-1 we currently play, has been linked with the Chelsea job before and won the Dutch league last year, having reached the Europa league final in 2022. More recently linked to Chelsea was Girona head coach Michel, who is challenging for La Liga this year and playing some incredible football on a smaller budget. He also plays the 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 possession-based high press variant, switching to 3-2-4-1 in build up play, which would be an easy adaptation for our current squad.

All of the above candidates have worked with young talent, all play a style of football which suits our squad, and all have been successful and overachieved both this and in recent seasons. It would be a perfectly logical move for any of those to be offered the Chelsea job the next time it’s available (which in all honesty could be sometime before or at the end of this season, but it could just as much be next year, or the year after, depending on how things go in the coming weeks and months).

Honestly, that would feel more like a plan. Strategically hire a coach to develop the young talent you have for a year or two, then hire a coach philosophically suited to your squad and how you want to play, to help the squad reach its’ potential over the long term. It actually makes a lot of sense.

Of course, if the owners and directors communicated a bit better and more directly what the plan was (hint, hint), it might be easier to discern if that’s really the case.

Either way, I don’t believe Mauricio Pochettino will be the manager to take this squad to their full potential. However, even if he only lasts one season, he will have laid solid foundations for the years to come, and could potentially be the “Ranieri” of this generation’s Chelsea. But who will be the “Jose”, we are still to discover.

The Score