‘He’s the right person to coach Chelsea’ – Joe Cole tells Todd Boehly who’s the right man for Chelsea job
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been urged by Joe Cole to give Mauricio Pochettino ample time to lead the team back to its former glory.
The former Blues winger claimed that during the American’s tenure at Stamford Bridge, “massive mistakes” had been made, mistakes that were “nothing to do with” any of the managers he had worked with since BlueCo’s consortium took over in 2022.
Pochettino has watched his team lose twice at Wembley this season. On Saturday, they lost the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, who scored a late goal. Earlier in February, they had lost the Carabao Cup match against Liverpool in extra time.
Speaking after the latest defeat at the stadium, former interim boss Frank Lampard urged Chelsea fans to be “patient” with Pochettino, pointing to the draws with Arsenal and Manchester City this season as well as the win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
Cole told football.london that while he is unsure how long Pochettino will ultimately be given, he believes the current rugged situation at Cobham is not down to the manager or predecessors Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
“I don’t know what the owners see as success and what is acceptable – that’s a conversation between the board members and Pochettino – but I agree with Frank in that he needs time,” the former England international said, courtesy of TNT Sports.
“A football club is like driving a big shipping cruise liner – it doesn’t turn sharp, things don’t get better quickly or worse quickly. There have been massive mistakes made at Chelsea over the last three years that have nothing to do with Pochettino, with Frank, Potter or Tuchel.
“But ultimately their heads are on the block. I’m just hoping behind the scenes there are some clear strategies in place and we know where we are with what’s accepted as a club.”
Chelsea – who could be facing spending sanctions ahead of next season – still have the opportunity to finish in a European spot despite their frustrating campaign. They play Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium on Tuesday in a game that could impact the Premier League title race.