What some senior players believe would have happened if Mauricio Pochettino stayed at Chelsea

Add as preferred source on Google

Mauricio Pochettino’s first and only season at Chelsea was far from being the best campaign ever witnessed at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea finished that season strongly under Mauricio Pochettino, securing a place in the top six.

However, in the end, that finish was not even enough for a spot in the Europa League following Manchester United’s win in the FA Cup final.

Ultimately, with Chelsea failing to qualify for the Champions League, that season has to go down as a failure. Pochettino went on to leave the club, though Todd Boehly advocated for Pochettino to stay.

• READ MORE: Noni Madueke shares how Mauricio Pochettino actually helped him at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino had Chelsea players’ backing

Boehly was not the only person at Chelsea who had faith in Pochettino, however.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed in an exclusive for GiveMeSport that senior players at Chelsea were convinced that Pochettino would have been a success this season had the 52-year-old remained at the club.

The Chelsea players will never get to find out now, though, with Enzo Maresca replacing Pochettino in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

Maresca has made a mix start to life as Chelsea manager. So far, he has overseen one win, one defeat and one draw in the Premier League.

However, that victory was a very impressive one, as the Blues managed to put six past Wolverhampton Wanderers in their 6-2 win at Molineux.

Some good did come from Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Chelsea

Under Pochettino, Chelsea failed to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy. It was a disappointing campaign overall.

The Argentine was not a complete disaster, though. A sixth-placed finish was a vast improvement on where the Blues came back in the 2022/23 season, while some of the young players at the club really came along under him.

Cole Palmer is a prime example, with the 22-year-old going from a benchwarmer at Manchester City to one of the best players in the Premier League at Chelsea.

The England international came up with 33 goal contributions in 33 top-flight outings for the Blues last term, and Pochettino deserves some credit for finding a way to get the best out of him.

Palmer has been spotted at Cobham after pulling out of the England squad so should be available for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth.