Mauricio Pochettino: Where Potter Failed at Chelsea, He Has Passed, but Won’t Be for Long

• Mauricio Pochettino is making good first impressions at Chelsea
• The Argentine is proving to be different to Graham Potter in many areas
• He has Chelsea fans' attention but he must do more than the basics going forward

Chelsea fans were divided on Mauricio Pochettino when it was first announced that he would be the new permanent boss from next season when Frank Lampard steps aside as caretaker manager.

There were concerns that a man who managed Tottenham for five years and won no trophy would be their next manager after the hell seen under Graham Potter and a returning legend whose first stint was not that convincing.

His one-and-a-half season at Paris Saint-Germain might have given him a first taste of silverware but winning Ligue 1 with the Parisians appears normal; managers hardly get credits.

He replaced former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at PSG, and what was the German's pitfall stung Poch - inability to manage big egos in the dressing room, he had extra in his compatriot Lionel Messi, who performed poorly under him.

A list of footballers with autism in the world right now

Football

All these, and Potter's failure, added up to the scepticism about him.

Potter’s failure at Chelsea

Potter's appointment at Chelsea looked like a failed project from the start. He had performed pretty well tactically at Brighton, but he came in with big boots to fill, in place of a Champions League winner, whom many fans believe was unfairly dismissed.

As transcribed by Evening Standard, his first words on the Blues chair hardly made mention of trophies; neither were there strong words, just a culmination of sentences to appease fans, players and owners' emotions.

Coming off the back of Roman Abramovich's reign as owner, a man who cares for trophies from his managers, such that when the slightest failure is spotted in winners, he dismisses them, the fans could not believe they are in to be fed statements irrelevant to what they used to know.

His in-game antics of clapping for every wrongdoing and post-match conference cliche of "the boys gave everything" after defeat further dug his grave.

Surya Wijaya: Meet the Indonesian fan who owns 200 Messi shirts from the beginning of his career

Football

They don't do that here. You were not told, Potter?

Legendary managers' standards

Two of Chelsea's most successful managers, Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel came in with statements that will remain in the hearts of the fans. Mourinho with the Special One tag, and Tuchel with a team nobody wants to play against.

“I have to say this, we have top players. I am sorry if I am a bit arrogant, we have a top manager. I am a European champion, I am not one of 'the bottle'. I think I am a special one,” Mourinho famously said in 2004.

"We want to create and constantly have on the pitch, that we are able to beat anybody and we're the team nobody wants to play against," Tuchel told Chelsea TV in 2021.

Chelsea fans love their managers arrogant, and Potter was not one.

Pochettino passes first test

How Messi's presence causes his godson and Aguero's son to shake

Football

Poch dispelled fans' fear on his first media day after resuming duty at Cobham officially on Monday. He acknowledged the Blues as the greatest English team in the last 15 years and mentioned winning trophies.

He faced the press for the first time yesterday and reiterated the desire to win trophies, borne out of the team's history and culture of winning.

"This football club, because of the history, the ambition is to always win trophies. I want to prove that I can deal with that," he said.

He has won over the Blues faithful and has their attention now, but this won't be long, as they would expect him to hit the ground running and win trophies for them.

Mauricio Pochettino, you have fans' attention, but there is no time.

Pochettino's comment on Lukaku

Sports Brief reported that Pochettino gave a brilliant response on Romelu Lukaku after being asked about the Belgian striker's situation amidst a plot to move away from Stamford Bridge.

He refused to be drawn into the controversy and outlined a routine of players just arriving for pre-season training coming to his office to say hello, and he expects the same from Lukaku.