John Terry has heaped praise on Mauricio Pochettino amid question marks over the Argentine’s future at Chelsea.
The Blues have endured an uneven season under the former Tottenham manager but Pochettino’s methods are beginning to pay dividends as their campaign draws to a close.
After recording back-to-back wins against Spurs and West Ham, the club are tilting at the Europa League places after a season away from European competition.
But despite potentially setting up the season to end on a high, speculation remains rife as to whether next season’s iteration of the west London side will be led by their current manager.
But for Terry – who has served as assistant manager under Dean Smith at Aston Villa and Leicester City and currently works as an academy coach at the Blues’ training ground in Cobham – the decision to stick with Pochettino is a no-brainer.
John Terry has urged his former club Chelsea to stick with current boss Mauricio Pochettino
Back-to-back home wins against Tottenham and West Ham have put Europe back on the table
‘I think (Pochettino) has done well,’ Terry told the Mirror while participating in Padel Aid. ‘It was always going to be difficult right from the outset – we were a very young group of players from the outset.
‘There were a lot of signings and a big clear-out in the summer of not only players but staff as well. There was a big turnaround and obviously Poch is new in the door.
‘I have seen him work, I love the way he works, I love the way he is with the players. He certainly needs a bit of time.
‘And I think we have seen that in the last couple of weeks, the better performances we have seen, the players growing into their roles and feeling like they belong at Chelsea as well. That is also going to take time and I just think we need to be patient. I think every club needs stability.
‘We have been very lucky at Chelsea. For 20 years we have had success year after year after year.
‘We have got a young squad and we look like we have got some really good players at the moment that can grow into their roles. Hopefully next season will be better.’
The west London side’s young players are starting to click after an uneven campaign
Pochettino is thought to have strong support from his dressing room, who are advocating for him to continue over the summer
Whether Pochettino will be given the time to develop at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen, but co-controlling owner Todd Boehly gave his initial verdict on the season this week.
Speaking at a Sportico event in Los Angeles, Boehly praised recent performances as being ‘really beautiful’ and ‘so fluid’.
‘You could really start to see what we were working on coming together,’ Boehly continued.
‘Our goal is obviously to win. And the commentary has changed over the last two and a half games.
‘I’ve never seen anything change so quickly than perspective on how a team does.’
But former Paris Saint-Germain manager Pochettino could yet be growing weary of the threat of the sack hanging over his position, on Friday hinting that he and his staff could also offer their resignation at the end of the season.
Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly praised the side’s ‘beautiful football’ last week
But Pochettino said that he could be the one to decide to move on from the club this summer
‘It is not only if the owners are happy or the sporting directors are happy,’ he said in his press conference ahead of facing Nottingham Forest on Saturday. ‘If we are happy, you need to ask also.
‘It is not going to be the first time that a coaching staff decide at the end of the season not to keep going. But understand that it is always the opposite way – always the owners or the sporting director.
‘There are two parties who can take a decision.’