Just 206 days after Chelsea owner Todd Boly assured the world that new head coach Graham Potter would get time at Chelsea, the American has decided to terminate the contract of former Brighton & Hove Albion boss.
This is less than any permanent manager/head coach at Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich era, but the decision was made for a reason.
Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League with 38 points from 28 games, their worst result so far since 1994/95 (36), while the Blues are in the bottom half of the table after at least 28 games for the first time. since 1995-96 when they finished 11th.
Potter has won only 12 of his 31 games since arriving from Brighton in September (W8 L11), ultimately paying the price after Chelsea’s dismal 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
So who will Boely turn to after abandoning the Potter project? Stats Perform took a look at some of the early favorites.
-7.4 – Chelsea lost their xG by 7.4 during Graham Potter’s reign in the Premier League, the worst result of any team since his first game (21 goals out of 28.4 xG).
-7.4 | Chelsea
-6.7 | West Ham
-6.1 | Everton
-5.8 | Southampton
-5.3 | ForestHabitual. pic.twitter.com/3D0iZUAc7y
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 2, 2023
Julian Nagelsmann
The German was probably the first name many thought of when Potter’s sacking was announced on Sunday, and Nagelsmann had suffered the same fate at Bayern Munich just a few days earlier.
It would be somewhat of a coincidence, given that the 35-year-old was replaced at Bayern by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who was replaced at Stamford Bridge by Potter.
Nagelsmann has been one of the most highly regarded young managers in Europe since his time at Hoffenheim, where he recorded 55 wins in 136 games (40%) before taking that win percentage at RB Leipzig to 57 (54 wins) . out of 95 games).
That was enough to convince Bayern that he should replace Hansi Flick in July 2021, but despite winning the Bundesliga in what turned out to be his only full season at the Allianz Arena and reaching the League quarter-finals champions that season, the club removed him. .
Some of his former players at Bayern have since praised him, but you really wonder if Chelsea is the right man who wasn’t seen as the right fit for a similarly sized and demanding club.
Brendan Rogers
The former Liverpool and Leicester City boss was sacked by the Foxes just hours before Potter received his promotion order, and on paper it doesn’t look like it would be a big improvement.
Rodgers almost won the Premier League title with Liverpool in 2013–14 before his team regressed the following season after the sale of Luis Suárez, but he rebuilt his reputation at the King Power Stadium.
He won the 2020–21 FA Cup by beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final and finished his time with the Foxes with a record of 92 wins in 204 games (D42 L70), a win percentage of 45.
However, Rodgers has learned the basics of a youth manager at Chelsea and may be more like him if Boeli still likes the idea of a Potter-type manager who prefers a combination of pressing and possession.
It looks like a slightly over 50-year-old job, although not so long ago some pundits suggested that Arsenal should sack Mikel Arteta and hire Rodgers. Football, huh?
Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentine was a very popular figure during his time at Tottenham and he was closely linked to Antonio Conte’s successor at his former club.
Pochettino may not have won a trophy with Spurs, but he managed two title runs and reaching the 2019 Champions League final that saw Liverpool lose 2-0.
His five-year reign included 113 wins in 202 Premier League games, a points per game (PPG) average of 1.89, before he was eventually sacked by chairman Daniel Levy after he appeared to be leading the club as best he could. further.
Pochettino landed at Paris Saint-Germain where he won the Ligue 1 title as well as the Coupe de France and Champions Trophy, but setbacks in the Champions League and losing the 2020-21 French Championship. Lille had low scores, although he only took over in the middle of that season.
Therefore, he is perhaps more suitable for an outsider than for someone who acts like Chelsea.
On the other hand, he might be able to seduce Harry Kane across London.
Luis Enrique
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona player most recently won 27 of 48 games as head coach of Spain, but international football can be different from top-level club play.
Luis Enrique was very successful in his last club job at Barça, although he was admittedly helped by the presence of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar at their peak.
He has won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns, a Spanish Super Cup, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup, as well as the 2014-15 Champions League in a historic treble.
Overall, Luis Enrique has won 87 of his 114 La Liga games (2.4 points per game) and has shown he can take a superstar team and get a lot out of them by manipulating his ego.
However, the fact that he has not been with the club since 2017 may seem problematic to some fans, while it can also be argued that he has not been successful in Spain.
50 – @Football Club Barcelona coaches with the highest percentage of wins in @LaLigaRU (managed at least 50 games):
76.3% – Pep Guardiola (152 games)
76.3% – Luis Enrique (114 games)
74.0% – Javi Hernandez (50 games)Leadership. pic.twitter.com/ZEzUHr8Zv2
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 6, 2023
Roberto De Zerbi
It would indeed be a kick in the teeth for Brighton if Chelsea took on another manager so soon after they poached Potter, but on paper it might make sense for the Blues.
Potter got the job at Chelsea thanks to a fantastic job he did on the south coast, and De Zerby replaced him as Seagull boss after he left.
The Italian has taken Brighton to the next level since his arrival and the club still has a reasonable chance of making it into European places and possibly even into the top four.
De Zerby averaged 1.50 points per game, winning eight of his 20 league games in charge and also taking Brighton to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Having De Zerby build on the foundations laid by Potter could work twice, although it will likely cost Chelsea a fortune to find out, though that usually doesn’t stop them.