Former Manchester United captain, Rio Ferdinand, has shed light on the predicament faced by Chelsea Football Club following their devastating 5-0 defeat to Arsenal. According to him, despite the mounting pressure and criticism, sacking head coach Mauricio Pochettino is not a viable option for the club.
Pochettino has been under immense scrutiny since his appointment less than a year ago. His first season in charge of the west Londoners has been far from smooth sailing. The Blues currently sit ninth in the Premier League with just six games left and have failed to secure any major silverware this season.
Interestingly, Chelsea had an edge over their rivals as they were not participating in Europe this season. This gave them extra time to rest and prepare but it seems that advantage was squandered.
Record-breaking spending has increased pressure
Chelsea made headlines at the start of this campaign when they spent a whopping £434.5m on players - setting a new record for spending during a transfer window in Premier League history. This took their total expenditure under BlueCo (the company that took over from ex-owner Roman Abramovich) to over £1 billion since May 2022.
Former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, said:
“What I would say is that if you have spent a billion pounds on potential then you can’t sack the manager, Mauricio Pochettino, when he gets an appraisal done at the end of the season, that will be one of the first things he says – ‘What do you expect? I have got one of the youngest squads around. I have invested in lots of potential. No real end product all over park’ – We were saying before, where is the experience?
‘When there is a rocky moment in the game, where are the people and the characters that are going to drag the young players along?
‘The main one, on the bench, was Thiago Silva but he is 38-years-old. They need to buy experience.’
Despite such significant investment, results have not been forthcoming which has led many fans and pundits alike questioning where things went wrong.
Criticism directed beyond Pochettino
While much criticism has been aimed at Pochettino due to poor performance throughout the season – even more criticism is being directed towards Chelsea’s hierarchy. Ferdinand is among those who believe that problems within Chelsea go well beyond their current manager.
The club’s management will conduct an end-of-season review of Pochettino’s performance but it's clear that there are deeper issues at play. The loss to Arsenal marked a new low for Chelsea history, as they have now conceded more goals than ever in a Premier League season.
While Pochettino's position seems precarious given the poor performance this season, Ferdinand's insights suggest that sacking him may not be the solution. It appears that Chelsea’s problems are rooted deeper within the club’s structure and management. As such, it will be interesting to see how the club navigates these challenges in their quest to return to winning ways.
