Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Chelsea is up, not even a year after moving to Stamford Bridge.
Whether that’ll prove to be the right decision in the long run is unknown, with fans and players both in shock at his departure.
For many, the Blues’ five-game winning streak at the end of the season was enough to stick by the Argentine for the upcoming campaign, but Todd Boehly has other plans.
Now that the dugout is vacant, let’s take a look at a potential successor who’s caused Chelsea plenty of headaches in the past.
Chelsea’s search for a new manager
According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, Thomas Frank is on the list of potential replacements for Pochettino.
The Danish boss has been discussed internally at the club as they look for a “dynamic manager.”
Other reports state that Frank is admired for his entire package, in terms of his relationships with the media and his players.
The 50-year-old is a strong candidate for the job, unlike Thomas Tuchel, whose return has been all but ruled out, but what would a Frank Chelsea side look like?
Frank’s Chelsea side compared to Pochettino’s
Throughout the campaign, Pochettino had attempted to install his philosophy within the squad, which prioritises an attacking approach.
This can be highlighted by the Blues scoring 77 goals and creating 3.2 big chances per game this season, which happens to be even more than Arsenal’s three big chances on average.
The other guarantee with a Pochettino side is that they’ll look to dominate possession, as shown by their 58.9% this campaign (fifth best in the division) and 505 accurate team passes per game.
On the other hand, Frank has a simply different style of play, which takes a slightly more reserved approach to attack, instead focusing on defensive security.
Position
16th
6th
Wins
10
18
Defeats
19
11
Goals scored
56
77
Goals conceded
65
63
Possession
45%
58.9%
As you can see, given that they are the underdog in most games, unlike Chelsea, Brentford are a side that operates more without the ball while ensuring that the basics are mastered.
What makes Frank slightly different from the Argentine is that he’s more willing to be tactically flexible, whether that be via in-game instruction or pre-match formation.
Pochettino always favours a standard 4-2-3-1 system, while the Dane has alternated between a 4-3-3 and a 3-4-3 variant, which has seen him go unbeaten in the last five games against the Blues and versus Pochettino.
Given the Chelsea squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him utilise the three-back formation if he were to join, with Reece James and Ben Chilwell proving to be a deadly wing-back combo under the aforementioned Tuchel, with 18 goal contributions between them in the 2021/22 league campaign.
So, with the former Blues boss unlikely to head back to London, Frank would be a fine alternative for the decision-makers at Chelsea.
Promisingly, the Dane is also known for getting the best out of each individual on his team, hence why he’s earned promotion and stayed in the top flight on a far-from-large budget, and Boehly will hope that he can help develop talent into superstars.
Ivan Toney is a prime example of the kind of impact Frank can have on an individual, as he scored 20 Premier League goals last season, and there's the potential that he could develop Nicolas Jackson into a 20-goal a-season striker, especially if he's being supplied by Cole Palmer.
Overall, hiring Frank is a risk, and it gives a slight similarity to the appointment of Graham Potter, but there’s no doubt he’s an “outstanding” coach, as dubbed by pundit Troy Deeney, who could help rebuild the club.
Chelsea in talks with Poch replacement who could make Mudryk unstoppable
The manager target is also of interest to Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
ByTom LeverMay 22, 2024
