What Mauricio Pochettino said before joining Chelsea that should have been a massive warning sign – opinion

Mauricio Pochettino is no doubt under massive pressure at Chelsea right now after results and consistency have not been there this season.

The Argentine was tasked with taking the side out of the mid-table mediocrity that he found them in, however he has so far only enforced their status as a side purely fighting for a spot in Europe next season.

For every positive moment, such as the dramatic victory against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, there has been nothing to back it up, shown by the draw against Sheffield United just three days later.

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Pochettino under pressure

A lot of the criticism aimed his way has been a result of some questionable tactical decisions, and an inability to get the best out of some of the better players in his squad.

Some comments that he made on the ‘High Performance Podcast’ a few months before becoming Chelsea manager have resurfaced, and it has left fans thinking they may have missed a glaring red flag.

He said: “I need to feel the trust in the people that is close to you. And when they player understand that you are working for them, it’s not about philosophy to play one, four, four, two or one, four, three, three, or play more defensive in a counter attack, or dominate the game.

“It’s about that they feel that you want the best for them. That is the most important thing. Philosophy, a style of football or different ideas, I think are not important.”

Many Chelsea fans will be questioning this method of thinking, and the best example to showcase this can be seen in the midfield.

Pochettino not building around Fernandez and Caicedo

With the extremely talented Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo showing just how good they are before Pochettino came in, there will be questions as to why the midfield is not built around either of them.

Instead, the side revolves around the physical strengths of Conor Gallagher, who despite having a great season is clearly limited in certain aspects of his game.

Some supporters will no doubt be of the belief that they could be doing better with a new manager, and the end of the season will be interesting to see if the Argentine is replaced in his role.