Chelsea have been a relatively large mess in the course of the 2023/24 season. That’s placing it politely too.
This was meant to be the marketing campaign the place the Todd Boehly period roared into life beneath new supervisor Mauricio Pochettino, nevertheless it’s adopted the pattern of his stewardship up to now. Spend cash and don’t get very far.
It was lately revealed that no different Premier League facet spent extra on agent charges than the Blues over a yearly interval ending in February 2024, and the place’s that obtained them? Not very far.
They’re ninth within the desk and with two video games in hand might nonetheless safe European soccer subsequent time period.
That must be the aim on the very least for this Chelsea crew however is it sufficient to maintain Pochettino within the job? Arguably not.
Potential Pochettino replacements for Chelsea
It could not be an enormous shock if we noticed the Argentine stay within the dugout for the start of subsequent season however with a managerial merry-go-round set to begin, Chelsea ought to become involved.
Jurgen Klopp is on the transfer, Thomas Tuchel is leaving Bayern Munich, Ruben Amorim will seemingly take his go away from Sporting and Barcelona boss Xavi can even depart the Camp Nou.
He’s already been linked with the Chelsea emptiness with stories on the finish of March suggesting they have been within the Spaniard.
Would he be a superb rent? Properly, given he’s a disciple of Pep Guardiola, there may be a simple case to make there.
Xavi’s managerial philosophy
The nice midfielder was among the finest gamers to grace the trendy sport however that doesn’t imply he’ll make a superb supervisor. Or does it?
Properly, after a droop of kinds for Barcelona pre-Xavi, the Spaniard has revived the good Catalan membership.
They received La Liga final season and are actually simply 90 minutes away from a spot within the Champions League semi-finals after defeating PSG of their quarter-final first leg.
Chelsea might solely dream of that nevertheless it goes to indicate that within the midst of considerably of a disaster, Xavi can dig you out of a gap.
Described as “the most effective supervisor on the planet” by Joan Laporta, the president at Barcelona, it’s simple to see why that label has been connected to him.
Aged 44, the Barca nice is now making a reputation for himself as a coach and could be an excellent candidate to switch Pochettino.
He’s similar to Guardiola in his teaching philosophy, using the technique that when you’ve got the ball, you possibly can’t concede a aim. Clever phrases.
Talking about how he sees the sport, Xavi as soon as mentioned: “It’s clear to me that my crew has to have the ball,” the previous midfielder advised The Coach’s Voice. “I endure once I don’t have it.
“What pursuits me as a coach? To play as a lot as attainable within the opponents’ half. In the event that they press us excessive, an important factor is to interrupt the midfield line, go into the opposition’s half, and assault.”
In an extra interview, he commented: “My idea may be very related [to Pep]. Guardiola additionally desires to be dominant, he desires to have the ball, sturdy possession, a lot of attacking actions… It’s finally about being proactive inside the sport.”
Proactive is definitely one thing Chelsea haven’t been beneath Pochettino up to now so there’s one downside probably solved.
Vitally, there’s a clear sample to the way in which Xavi likes his groups to play and he doesn’t stray from it fairly often.
Unsurprisingly, no crew in La Liga has had extra of the ball than Barcelona this season. Just one crew – Actual Madrid – has a greater common cross success charge in your complete division.
Barcelona vs Chelsea: 2023/24 League Seasons |
||
---|---|---|
Stat |
Xavi’s Barca |
Poch’s Chelsea |
Targets scored |
61 |
55 |
Targets conceded |
34 |
51 |
xG |
67.44 |
63.17 |
xGA |
32.83 |
48.37 |
Common possession |
65% |
59.2% |
Information through WhoScored. |
His crew additionally rank the best in Spain’s prime flight for anticipated objectives (xG), suggesting Xavi is aware of how one can get his crew to create possibilities. They’re additionally third for anticipated objectives towards in La Liga, a tally that additionally ranks them because the 14th-best facet in Europe’s prime 5 leagues, even forward of Manchester Metropolis.
So, the Guardiola technique is evident to see and it’s a confirmed treatment for fulfillment. The nice Spanish coach has already deployed it in England and Mikel Arteta has taken affect too, notably taking his Arsenal crew near the title.
Xavi’s fellow Spaniard once said of his own style: “I need dominance. I don’t need the opposition to breathe.”
Because of this, this potential appointment may very well be simply what the physician ordered at Chelsea.