Mauricio Pochettino has hardly been in the Chelsea dugout for a year, but there are already calls for the ex-Tottenham boss to be booted out.
There were periods this season where he brought life into Chelsea’s season, their opening game against Liverpool, that win over Spurs and reaching the League Cup final.
But the fact of the matter is, the results just haven’t been consistent enough and they deserve to be sitting 11th in the Premier League table.
Over the weekend, Chelsea suffered a deserved 4-2 defeat to Wolves and now there are calls for Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked.
But Jay Bothroyd has praised the under-fire boss for coming out and ‘criticising himself’ amid this pressure, which he thinks is a ‘breath of fresh air’, as he told The Football Show on Sky Sports.
The struggling London club are in action on Wednesday night, it’s an FA Cup replay against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
The Midlands outfit have suffered only two defeats in all competitions in a year at Villa Park, so this is going to be a very, very tricky fixture for the Blues.
Either way, Jay Bothroyd thinks the powers that be at Stamford Bridge might have no choice but to boot Mauricio Pochettino out of the door, if results don’t improve.
Should Chelsea sack Mauricio Pochettino?
“First of all, I want to say that it’s a breath of fresh air that a manager has come out and actually criticised himself and said ‘I need to be better’,” said Bothroyd.
“But obviously, the players need to be better. When I look at the Chelsea squad, they have got a squad there, on paper, that is one of the best in the Premier League. I think they are short of a striker. But that’s making excuses.
“The problem I think Chelsea have is that you watch some games, they play well and keep possession well. But they don’t seem to have a cutting edge. They don’t seem to have any idea.
“This is a results-driven business, and if this continues, then I am in no doubt they will have to just move on from him.”
If Chelsea sacked Mauricio Pochettino…
Would it really improve results and performances? And who is realistically out there that would take the job right now?
Sacking Graham Potter, this time last season, didn’t help matters and just made things worse.
Yes, there is a certain Jose Mourinho in the wings, but it’s not a guarantee that he will work, especially given that this is a young group and he prefers older heads.
Plus, he would walk in and tell a lot of home truths to a lot of people, from top to bottom, which might not go down well.
There will be a lot of Chelsea fans saying that is what’s needed, either way, watch this space because if Pochettino gets booted out of the FA Cup tonight, then calls for him to be sacked will only increase.
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