Johannesburg - Chelsea’s upcoming game against Tottenham on Sunday could have a big bearing in the future of manager Graham Potter. Potter has come under fire lately. The Blues are 10th and 11 points adrift of fourth place Spurs.
They look unlikely to make the top four this season and at this point, their season is more about damage control. While most knew that this season would be one of struggle for the Stamford Bridge-based club under new ownership, few expected it to be so bad.
Spurs and Chelsea derbies are intense. If the Blues win this one, Potter will buy himself some time and could even become a hero in the eyes of some fans. If they lose, more and more will call for him to be sacked.
Should Potter be sacked, the following are some bosses that the Blues could look towards.
Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino has been out of work since parting ways with PSG. While he did not win a major trophy in England, he did earn mostly rave reviews during his five years at the helm of Tottenham between 2014 and 2019.
The Argentine is proven in England with vast experience and could arguably do better at Chelsea than he did at Spurs as he will have access to more resources.
Pochettino is still highly-regarded as a hero by many Tottenham fans, and has even been linked with a return to Spurs should the unpredictable Antonio Conte end up leaving the club.
Zinedine Zidane
Zidane has been out of form as well since leaving Real Madrid for a second time almost two-years ago. Zidane’s first spell in charge of Real was one of the greatest in history, as it bore three consecutive Champions League titles.
The French football legend was recently linked with the Les Bleus job before the France football federation decided to stick with Didier Deschamps. That decision can’t really be faulted since Deschamps led the team to glory in the 2018 World Cup, and followed that up with a runners-up finish in Qatar three months ago.
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Luis Enrique
Enrique was sacked by Spain after their elimination by Morocco in the World Cup. In his three-year spell at the helm of La Roja, Enrique did bring attractive football to the team.
He gave it a football identity again after it struggled for squad cohesion and a clear vision following the phasing out of the golden generation that won it two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup midway through the last decade.
Enrique is proven at club level, having won two La Liga titles and a Champions League title during his time with Barcelona.
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Thomas Tuchel
This would be odd, but weirder things have happened in football. Tuchel was controversially sacked earlier this season by Chelsea which would have left a bitter taste in his mouth towards the club’s new owners. However, he does remain highly-regarded by the club’s fans and would have earned himself hero status after guiding the club to the Champions League title in 2021.
IOL Sport