It is fair to say that not too many Chelsea fans were against the decision to relieve Mauricio Pochettino of his duties at the end of last season.
The Argentine had only been in charge for one campaign, and got his side to Wembley twice despite not ending up with any silverware.
A prolonged recruitment period saw the owners decide on Enzo Maresca to lead the project forwards. Despite a run of defeats recently, the Blues are still on far more points this season than they were at the same stage under Pochettino.
The current United States manager was always going to be up against it with some sections of the fanbase following his extensive spell as boss of arch-rivals Tottenham.
Those Chelsea fans will have only been further infuriated by Pochettino’s recent comments regarding his former club, with him still clearly holding fond memories of his time in the north of London at Tottenham.
He said to SportBible: “The love is there. After six years working in Tottenham, that relationship is always going to be there. We still feel good things between the fans and us.
“It’s difficult to judge from outside, I try not to put myself in positions that it I cannot talk on there. There are always some periods that are up and down, but for sure Tottenham have a great squad and have good players, great fans, club is amazing, and for sure they will change the feelings they have now.”
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard seemed to also not be a big fan of Pochettino’s time in charge either, with Reece James agreeing with him that things were better under the new manager.
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Pochettino’s record for Chelsea vs record for Spurs
Two of Chelsea’s biggest wins last season came against their arch-rivals, with the first a 4-1 win away against an unbeaten Spurs side at the time.
Pochettino won 27 of his 51 games in charge of the Blues, however his points per game sits higher from his time in charge at Spurs.
The Argentine is currently preparing for a home World Cup in charge of the United States national team, where he is working closely with former Chelsea man Christian Pulisic.