Mauricio Pochettino announced last night that he had left his role has head coach of Chelsea by mutual consent. The former Paris Saint-Germain boss was in the role for under one year and, despite an exceptionally rocky start to his season, he left the club with the security of European football, making his departure from the side all the more bizarre.
After his side’s final day win over Bournemouth, Pochettino said he did not know whether he would be undergoing a reported end-of-season review to decide his future, but following talks with the board on Monday, a joint decision was made that he would be stepping down.
In a statement, the Argentinian ex-Spurs manager wrote: “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history. The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
Chelsea finished their 2023/24 season in sixth place but there had been worries earlier on in the campaign that they would struggle to even make a top ten finish. Here is how Chelsea would have placed in the Premier League, based on their 12 most recent fixtures...
9. 12. Fulham (season finish - 13)
Marco Silva's side won four of their final 12 games, scoring 15 points, as they enjoyed wins over Luton, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur. | Getty Images
10. 11. Aston Villa (season finish - 4)
Champions League football was secured for the first time in Aston Villa's history. However, it was not the dream ending to the campaign with Unai Emery's side losing four matches and drawing four with a final day 5-0 thumping to Crystal Palace the unwanted icing on the cake. | Getty Images
11. 10. Tottenham Hotspur (season finish - 5)
Spurs were unable to topple Aston Villa off fourth place in the league as they lost six of their final 12 matches. They did, however, record wins over Luton, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Sheffield. | Getty Images
12. 9. Manchester United (season finish - 8)
A poor season for the Red Devils who registered four wins, four draws and four defeats in their final 12 matches. They do have the FA Cup final to contend with this weekend but Erik ten Hag's side were only able to secure wins over Everton, Sheffield, Newcastle and Brighton. | Getty Images