PEP GUARDIOLA is the reason Mauricio Pochettino is no longer with Chelsea.
That is according to one interesting take from a Premier League icon.
Pochettino got off to an awful start at Chelsea but finished the season with five wins on the bounce to finish sixth.
Recovering to secure European football with an injury-ravaged squad meant that many felt Poch, 52, deserved another crack.
But Robbie Fowler, 49, thinks Guardiola has raised the bar so high that trigger-happy owners cannot help but hire and fire at will.
Writing for The Mirror, he said: “If an owner sees their team quickly becoming a fading dot in City’s rearview mirror then the temptation to make a change is obvious.
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“Unfortunately, more and more of them are unable to resist the impulse to sack the manager and give someone else a go.
“Chelsea owner Todd Boehly obviously felt that after lavishing more than £1billion in the transfer market, he deserved more bang for his buck.
“So Pochettino was toast, despite qualifying for Europe with a sixth-placed finish after five successive wins and just one defeat in 14.”
Chelsea also made the FA Cup semi-finals and Carabao Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to Liverpool.
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Fowler revealed he was next to Frank Lampard at an awards do when the news was announced and said the Blues icon could not believe it.
SunSport exclusively revealed that Chelsea have held talks with Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.
The Italian is one of three leading candidates for the role, alongside Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
Blues chiefs want to have a manager in place by the end of next week as they plot their summer transfer plans.
Chelsea have already identified Burnley keeper and England hopeful James Trafford as a target.
Pochettino’s Chelsea record
MAURICIO POCHETTINO had just started to turn Chelsea around.
An impressive run of end-of-season form saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a Europa League spot.
But it wasn’t enough to keep him in a job as it was announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine had left.
Here are all Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:
Premier League – 6th
FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)
Carabao Cup – Runners-up (Lost to Liverpool)
Total record:
Games 51
Wins 26
Draws 11
Defeats 14
Goals for 103
Goals against 74
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
