Pochettino sacked before Christmas? Ex-Chelsea star 'doubts he'll get the time'
Tom Weber
- Updated: 18 Oct 2023 10:31 BST
- 4 min read
Former Chelsea player Boudewijn Zenden is worried that Mauricio Pochettino won't be given the time to get the Blues back to the top of the English game.
The Argentine head coach was brought in over the summer after a torrid season last term. Chelsea spent north of €600 million on new recruits and yet failed to qualify for European competition. Pochettino entered into a toxic environment and inherited a bloated squad, with the ridiculous spending and player turnover continuing in the summer.
It has, predictably, taken time for the former Spurs boss to get results. After a slow start, the Blues have won their last three games, albeit those outings came against a poor Brighton side, a timid Fulham and relegation battlers Burnley. Chelsea will get a chance to show what they are truly made of when they face Arsenal at the weekend.
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Boudewijn Zenden, however, is not yet fully convinced by the project and he is worried about Mauricio Pochettino's job.
What did Zenden say?
“It's not easy for Pochettino," Zenden told Dutch outlet Soccernews. "I have been at Chelsea as a player and manager and know the environment in which he works. There have been several great coaches who have died there. I don't expect it to happen anytime soon in his case."
"The club has gone through an unprecedented transition with new owners and a completely new squad. It is logical that it takes time. On the other hand, they have spent an awful lot of money in the last four transfer windows. If you take that thought with you to the match, you watch with pain in your eyes."
"You don't see the dominant Chelsea you expect. This is of course also due to the many injuries. That is something that worries me with the difficult schedule they still have. If Chelsea don't get enough points until Boxing Day, things will become very precarious for everyone at the club."
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Asked whether Pochettino will make it to Christmas, Zenden stated: “I really don't dare say that. I think he is a good coach, but putting together a completely new team takes time. The fact that he cannot play with a fixed eleven means that it takes longer to forge certain automatisms."
"I honestly doubt he will get that time. But let's not be too pessimistic and assume that things are moving in the right direction little by little, as the latest results show.”
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