01 March 2024 , 23:00
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John Obi Mikel admits Mauricio Pochettino would already have been sacked if Roman Abramovich was still in charge at Chelsea.
The Russian billionaire has been gone from Stamford Bridge for just over 18 months, but presided over a ruthless two decade spell that resulted in huge amounts of silverware. New chief Todd Boehly is already on his third permanent manager in less than two seasons, but is struggling to replicate the success of his predecessor.
Pochettino was hired in the summer having won honours previously at PSG and impressed with a young Tottenham team. The Argentine though is struggling to get a tune out of this Blues outfit, despite spending huge sums on the likes of Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea are languishing in 11th place and look set for another season without Champions League football. Pochettino recently lost the Carabao Cup final against a young Liverpool side, which has ramped up the pressure, and Mikel admits he'd have already been axed under the previous regime.
He told the Evening Standard : “Some of the criticism has been over the top, but we went through the same thing playing for Chelsea when we were not winning, getting criticised and watching managers losing their jobs. This is Chelsea. You have to win. You have to win games and trophies.
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"Yes, we’ve given them time, but they have had time to start gelling, coming together, and playing much better. I defend the players and coach. They have to be given time, but how much time? This is Chelsea FC. If this was the [Roman] Abramovich era, he would have lost his job.
"But I hope the new owners give Poch time. Let’s see where we finish at the end of the season. The final would have given him breathing space but now we need a run of winning games to see where we end up finishing. Then it will be up to the owners to make a decision.”
Roman Abramovich was ruthless as an owner (PA)Pochettino continues to face questions about the lack of silverware on his CV in England. Whilst in charge of Tottenham he fell short on numerous occasions, coming second in the league and losing several finals.
The Argentine has confessed, as Chelsea continue to be inconsistent, that he has no say in his future. He said: "It's not in my hands. We have a very good relationship with the owners, with the sporting director. It's up to them to trust or not. It's not the coach's decision."
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