Chelsea is in talks with Enzo Maresca about appointing him as their manager for the next season. Mauricio Pochettino stepped down as their manager after his side finished sixth in the Premier League and had to remain satisfied with a place in the UEFA Conference League next season when Manchester United won the FA Cup last Saturday, 25 May.
Many feel that Pochettino was treated somewhat harshly, but it cannot be denied that the Blues failed to do justice to the exorbitant amount of money they spent in the transfer market.
Changing Managers Has Been a Trend at Chelsea
Chelsea has risen to prominence in English football over the last two decades. Since Roman Abramovich decided to buy the club and spend money on acquiring top players and managers, the Blues have been the second-most consistent team in England after Manchester City. They have won the Premier League title five times and the UEFA Champions League twice within a span of 16 years from 2005 to 2021.
However, Abramovich was never patient in tolerating the managers’ inability to deliver results for the team. People like José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Avram Grant, Antonio Conte, Frank Lampard, Graham Potter, and Thomas Tuchel came and went one after another. Hence, new owner, Todd Boehly’s somewhat whimsical decision to sack Pochettino, has come in keeping with the club’s tradition over those glorious two decades.
The refusal to accept below-par performances is also a trait shared by Chelsea and Real Madrid, for example. Despite of their unparalleled success in both continental and domestic football, Real refuses to lower their minimum benchmark for acceptable success.
It has worked for them and, to a lesser extent, for Chelsea, too, over the last 20 years. The decision to change managers frequently should not, has an adverse effect on their performance in the future.
World-class Players Have Helped the Blues Win Trophies
Make no mistake, the role of the managers has been very important for the Blues. From Mourinho’s team’s water-tight defence and midfield to Conte’s emphasis on the 3-4-3 formation to Tuchel adjusting it to a 3-5-2 – the Blues have seen frequent changes as far as their playing style is concerned.
However, a steady supply of world-class players, coupled with a top manager has ensured the inflow of trophies. If Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Čech, Ricardo Carvalho, Eden Hazard and Ashley Cole did it for Mourinho, the likes of Victor Moses, Cesc Fàbregas, Diego Costa, along with Hazard and Terry did it for Conte. Thus, the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Thiago Silva and Reece James helped Tuchel win the Champions League.
The point here is that Chelsea’s continuing to spend freely on new players under the new regime, is not a worrying sign at all. The likes of Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Moisés Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella have the ability to prolong the glory years for the West London club.
Yes, most of them have failed to live up to expectations so far, but there is no reason why they cannot reverse the tide. The only condition is that they continue to be backed by a top-class manager at the helm.