Gianfranco Zola now gives his honest thoughts on Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea manager

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Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has been speaking about Mauricio Pochettino and has said some things that may interest supporters.

Mauricio Pochettino is probably not the most popular man at Stamford Bridge right now.

Under him, Chelsea have really struggled this season, with the Blues currently sitting in the bottom half of the table.

He also failed to guide them to victory in the Carabao Cup final against a weakened Liverpool side.

Nevertheless, Gianfranco Zola still thinks that the Argentine is a good manager and has explained why he backed the club’s decision to bring him in last summer. If Pochettino is sacked at the end of the season, there is one man who Fabrizio Romano can definitely not see replacing him.

Gianfranco Zola believes Mauricio Pochettino suits Chelsea

Zola thinks Pochettino is a good fit for Chelsea because of all of the young players at the club who need developing.

The 52-year-old worked with a very young squad at Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, where he got the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli to thrive and had the team regularly competing for Champions League qualification and even the title on a couple of occasions.

Discussing the Blues’ decision to hire Pochettino on Up Front, Zola said: “When they appointed him, I thought he was the best manager for the task because we had a project, we had to bring in young talent and develop them. I believe to do that job Pochettino is the best one. I didn’t expect all these difficulties.

“Whatever the main problem, I don’t know, because I am not every day with them. I still believe he’s a strong coach.”

Xavi could replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea

With things not going to plan for Pochettino at Chelsea, there has been plenty of talk about managers who could come in to potentially replace the former Tottenham boss at the end of the season.

Xavi is the latest name to pop up, with it being claimed that the Blues have an interest in the Barcelona manager.

The 44-year-old is set to leave the Spotify Camp Nou at the end of the season, making him an attainable option.

Managing at Barcelona, Xavi obviously has experience working at a big club and has won the Spanish league title there. If Chelsea do decide to get rid of Pochettino, considering the World Cup winner as his successor would make sense.