What will Mauricio Pochettino bring to Chelsea?

The Blues have appointed former Southampton and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino as head coach for the new campaign but what will Mauricio Pochettino bring to Chelsea? We look through previous tactics and his man-management skills to come to a conclusion.

A new era has come to Chelsea with the exit of former owner Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich. New owner and American Todd Boehly will be looking repeat the success of his predecessor but it could take a lot of work and most of that work lays with the new manager. So what could Mauricio Pochettino bring to Chelsea?

Who is Mauricio Pochettino?

Pochettino is an Argentine manager and former player. His playing career started in 1989 where he joined Newell’s Old Boys, winning a league title and finishing runner-up in the 1992 Copa Libertadores. He then moved on in 1994 to newly promoted side Espanyol in La Liga where he helped them to win the 2000 Copa Del Rey, their first trophy in 60 years.

After helping to secure a trophy with Espanyol he then spent several years in France, playing for both Bordeaux and PSG before re-joining Espanyol. There he contributed to another Copa Del Rey win. Pochettino also played for Argentina, featuring in both the 1999 Copa America and the 2002 World Cup.

Which teams has he managed?

Mauricio Pochettino started his managing career at his beloved Espanyol in 2009 but left the club after a string of poor results and financial disputes. In 2013 the Argentina joined English Premier League side Southampton. There he managed an eighth placed finish, equalling their highest ever.

Pochettino started to catch the eye of the bigger clubs and it wasn’t long before he joined Tottenham in 2014. There he helped his side as runner-ups in the 2016-2017 league campaign. Pochettino also helped them to reach a Champions League final, something their fans will remember forever.

Tottenham released Pochettino after a period of poor results but it did not take long for him to find an even bigger job. He managed to secure a head coach position with French giants PSG. Here he spearheaded a Ligue 1 title and Coupe De France trophy. One year later he left.

How did his players perceive him?

After an interview with Sky Sports former Southampton player and midfielder Adam Lallana described his meeting as an “awakening”. He also added that “There was so much energy in the room and an immediate connection. The lads were all buzzing to play for him – and were desperate to know what fragrance he used!”.

This showed that he made an immediate and strong impression as a manager and a lasting one at that.

How does Pochettino like his teams to play?

History shows that Pochettino likes to play a very high-pressing, attacking style of football. He likes two formations, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 which is possession based and seeks to build out with quick, incisive passes to his central midfielders.

Pochettino likes his players to execute vertical passes to teammates further up the pitch to switch defence into attack quickly. When out of position the players would be commanded to sustain a high press, which was both successful and efficient.

During the first phase of play the full-backs will sit deep whilst the midfielders look to free up space to receive the ball in central areas. This type of tact forms triangles on the pitch giving his players more space and more time on the ball.

In the final third Pochettino likes his full-backs to remain narrow. This way they are easily found and can also help create overloads as well as creating chances with crosses into the box. His type of play also highlights his want for an aggressive press and playing progressively.

If his side failed to progress the ball forward they would also use the centre-backs to pick out defence splitting long-balls down the wings.

Man management

Man management seems to have been amiss at Chelsea in recent years but Pochettino also boasts a certain quality in that specific area. A good example of this is his management of Luke Shaw. During his early teenage playing years Luke Shaw, now considered as one of the best left-backs in Europe, was struggling with dietary issues. In one instance, Pochettino arrived at Luke Shaw’s house and made him healthy smoothies. This was a great example of how far he was willing to go for his players.

When interviewing Luke Shaw about Pochettino, the left back had this to say “I think with Southampton he achieved the impossible, we were one of the best footballing teams in the league…I do hope that I can play for him again one day. And I think he really wants me to play under him again. He used to call me his son, that’s how good our relationship was. I’ve had lots of ups and downs, but when I was with Pochettino it was only ever up, up, up”.