Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea finished the season strong
It was during the first 10 games of the season that the narrative was set. Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino are bad. Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou — good.
The likelihood is that Tottenham almost finish above Chelsea in the Premier League table this season. But the gap, which was 14 points after 10 games, had been reduced to three by the final day and Chelsea could leapfrog their rivals into fifth place if Spurs lose to Sheffield United.
Chelsea were still 13 points behind Spurs in 11th place at the start of February after a result that left manager Pochettino worried about his job — a 4-2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
To the question, was there such a result? At any point when he felt he might be sacked this season, Pochettino responded: “Can I be honest? I think after Wolves. I didn't think we would be fired, but it was a difficult moment. That defeat at home was very hard, very hard.
“At this moment you, as a coach and staff, feel lonely. When you feel like everyone is looking at you like you're at fault and you don't know what's going on.»
Pochettino cited an incident after the Wolverhampton game as adding to his anxiety. saying: “Do you also remember what happened next?”
Thiago Silva’s wife Belle posted a message on social media immediately after the defeat saying: “It’s time to change.” If you wait any longer, it will be too late.” Asked if he meant that, Pochettino added: “Maybe.”
“After the game we were alone. We wait two hours. It was a long time after the game, and the five of us on the coaching staff were watching each other in a very small room. Without thinking [we are going to be fired]. We were even sadder. We find ourselves in an unfair situation. We did not deserve this situation, but as a result we found ourselves in a very difficult situation.”
While Postecoglou was serenaded by Robbie Williams to the tune of his hit 'Angels' last August, some Chelsea fans sang 'f— from Mauricio' at Pochettino as recently as March during a 2-2 draw in Brentford
Yet after defeat at home to Wolverhampton, Chelsea lost just once in the league and gave Bournemouth the opportunity to end the campaign with a fifth successive win and secure a place in the Europa League. Spurs are looking to avoid a disappointing sixth defeat in their last seven matches away from relegated Sheffield United.Ange Postecoglou has seen his hopes of making Spurs serious trophy contenders diminished. Photo: Reuters/Dylan Martinez
It seems like a long time ago. that Tottenham have won eight of their first 10 league games, compared to Chelsea's three in the same period.
Given this turn of events, it is only logical to wonder which club will feel they have had their best season on Sunday night. Whether they finish behind Tottenham or not, Chelsea can justifiably claim to have turned 10-game history on its head — even with Pochettino's lonesome two hours after defeat to Wolves.< /p>
Pochettino surpassed Postecoglou in the match. cup competitions, reaching the League Cup final and FA Cup semi-final, and in Cole Palmer the Chelsea head coach has the best player of the season on his team.
Chelsea have won nine of their 17 league games in 2024 compared to Tottenham's seven and are five places above their London rivals in fourth place in the calendar year table.
That's no detraction. It has been a season of progress for Tottenham, who finished eighth last year and missed out on European qualification. But it is worth remembering that Chelsea appeared even earlier: last season they dropped to 12th place.
Postecoglou warned of the need for big changes and lamented Tottenham's «fragile foundations». But Pochettino believes he and his team have put Chelsea's home on a stable footing.
«The important thing is that we have started to build the structure,» Pochettino said. “We want to build our house step by step and be very firm in our steps. If we are happy to live this way, we will be strong in the next few years. This will allow us to fight for things.”
While Postecoglou can confidently plan for the summer, Pochettino must wait for his fate to be decided in Chelsea's final review and whether it actually is decided. It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish.
Chelsea's final game marks the farewell of two highly respected employees. Brian Pullman, a legendary media figure who has seen nearly 30 managers come and go, is leaving after nearly 56 years.
Senior communications manager Adrian Phillips is leaving after almost 10 years in which he impressively flanked Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Pochettino.
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