- Blues have an outside chance of a place in Europe next season amid a strong finish
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John Terry has praised Mauricio Pochettino as he questioned the Argentine’s future at Chelsea.
The Blues have had an uneven season under the former Tottenham manager, but Pochettino’s methods are starting to pay off as their season draws to a close.
After back-to-back wins against Spurs and West Ham, the club is eyeing a spot in the Europa League after a season without European competition.
But despite the season potentially ending on a high, speculation remains rife over whether next season’s iteration of the west London side will be led by their current manager for a second term.
But for Terry – who has served under Dean Smith as assistant manager at Aston Villa and Leicester City and currently works as an academy coach at the Blues’ training ground in Cobham – the decision to stay with Pochettino is a no-brainer.
John Terry has urged his former club Chelsea to stay with current boss Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentinian manager is enjoying a revival as the season comes to an end this month
Back-to-back home wins against Tottenham and West Ham have put Europe back on the table
“I think (Pochettino) has done well,” Terry told the Mirror while participating Padel aid. “It was always going to be difficult from the start, we were a very young group of players from the start.
‘There were a lot of signings and a big clear-out in the summer, not only of players but also of the staff. There was a big turnaround and it is clear that Poch is new.
“I’ve seen him work, I like the way he works, I like the way he interacts with the players. He definitely needs some time.
‘And I think in recent weeks we have seen the better performances, the players who have grown into their roles and feel like they belong at Chelsea too. That will also take time and I think we have to be patient. I think every club needs stability.
‘We were very lucky at Chelsea. We have been successful year after year after year for 20 years. We have a young squad and it looks like we have some really good players at the moment who can grow into their roles. Hopefully next season will be better.’
West London’s young players are starting to click after an uneven campaign
Pochettino is believed to have strong support from his dressing room, who are pushing for him to continue this summer
Whether Pochettino will be given time to develop at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen, but co-controlling owner Todd Boehly gave his first assessment of the season this week.
Speaking at a Sportico event, Boehly praised the recent performances as “really beautiful” and “so fluid.”
“You could really see what we were working on together,” Boehly continued. ‘Our goal is of course to win. And the commentary has changed over the last two and a half games.
“I’ve never seen anything change so quickly with the foresight of how a team is doing.”
But the former Paris Saint-Germain could still be tiring of the threat of the bag hanging over his position, which indicated on Friday that he and his staff could also tender their resignations at the end of the season.
Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly praised the team’s “beautiful football” last week
But Pochettino said he could be the one to decide to leave the club this summer
“It’s not just when the owners are happy or the sporting directors are happy,” he said at his press conference ahead of the clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. ‘If we are satisfied, you should also ask.
‘It won’t be the first time that a technical staff decides not to continue at the end of the season. But understand that it is always the opposite: always the owners or the sporting director.
“There are two parties that can make a decision.”