Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea this week in what was a rather surprising departure.
Indeed, the Argentine left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent just as things were starting to click for Chelsea.
The west London club’s recent form has actually been much better, but the decision was made that it was best to part ways.
Speaking on The Debrief, Ben Jacobs has been discussing Pochettino’s departure from Chelsea, and he says that the Blues’ board thought that their relationship with Pochettino would deteriorate if he stayed on.
What Chelsea thought would happen if Mauricio Pochettino stayed
Jacobs shared what he’s heard from his sources at Chelsea.
“The manager can be the right fit but not the right fit for the senior leadership team. It got to the point where there was a respect for Pochettino, but the feeling from all parties was that if they continued the relationship might deteriorate,’ Jacobs said.
“This isn’t about Pochettino being sacked, it’s about Pochettino being the right person to break a few eggs and build foundations.”
Pochettino had to go
If Chelsea felt like their relationship with Pochettino was going to deteriorate over the next few months, then the decision to let him go was probably the right one.
Yes, he’d been getting results as of late, but if this relationship wasn’t going to work in the long-term, it’s better to cut ties before things turn sour.
We’ve seen before at Chelsea how these situations are irreparable once the board and the coaching staff stop seeing eye-to-eye, and it’s best avoiding that halfway through next season.
Chelsea’s board will have known which way the tide was turning, and while, from a footballing perspective, this looks like a rash call, there’s no long-term future in having a manager in place who you feel you can’t trust or you can’t work with effectively.