Pep Guardiola backs Mauricio Pochettino to be a success at Chelsea

Man City manager Pep Guardiola has shared his thoughts on Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Chelsea so far. He praised the Argentine manager and claimed that he would make the Blues successful.

Man City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday, April 20. Bernardo Silva scored in the 84^th minute as the Blues missed plenty of good chances. In his programme notes ahead of the clash, Pep Guardiola heaped praise on Pochettino, writing:

“There are so many top managers in England right now and Mauricio is definitely one of them. Chelsea will become a far better team with him as manager. I have no doubts about that.”

Pochettino was appointed Chelsea’s manager last summer but has found the job to be extremely difficult. They finished 12^th last season and sacked two permanent managers. Having spent over £1 billion on new players since 2022, there is immense expectation from the fans.

However, the west London side are set for another trophyless season. They lost in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool and in the FA Cup semi-finals against Man City. Hence, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding Mauricio Pochettino’s job. Amidst such speculation, a seal of approval from Guardiola will come as a big support for the Argentine.

Pochettino and Guardiola have been clashing against each other since 2008 when they used to manage Espanyol and Barcelona respectively. The Argentine has faced off against the Spaniard 25 times with Espanyol, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and now Chelsea. He has won four times, drawn seven, and lost 14 times.

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Mauricio Pochettino taking positives from Chelsea’s FA Cup defeat against Man City

While Chelsea lost 1-0 against Man City, they had plenty of good opportunities to score themselves. They had 10 attempts on goal with five being on target but lacked the clinical edge.

Mauricio Pochettino rued his side’s missed chances after the game but found positivity in their competitiveness. He said in his post-match press conference:

“But the important thing I think is that we competed. Competing in this way, now we need to take the positive things from the game. This type of group of players need these types of moments and games.

“Now it’s about taking the positive things and trying to keep the things we need and improve the areas we need to improve. Now is the time to finish the season in the best way and then of course see how we can do better next season.”

Man City will face Manchester United in the FA Cup final late in May. Chelsea, meanwhile, will face Arsenal away in the Premier League on Tuesday, April 23.

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