When it comes to judges of footballing character and managers, Pep Guardiola is someone that hasn't got it wrong too many times. As well as the very fact that his disciples have been so successful across Europe this season in charge of their own teams, his decision to let Joao Cancelo leave in January has proven to be the right one.
His previous admiration of coaches has often come across in a comedic manner but on the whole he tends to get more right than wrong. This will come as music to the ears of Chelsea fans who are preparing for the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino.
The former Tottenham manager is closing in on the vacant head coach role at Stamford Bridge and appears to be a pick that satisfies most and accomodates the many needs at the club. However, there are remaining questions over hsi ability to compete with the best at the top level.
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Pochettino's record at Spurs when coming up against top six opponents is mediocre at best and the fact he only managed to out-do Guardiola twice in nine meetings between the sides across three years in north London sums that up
Although part of Pochettino's very success at Tottenham was in their competitive nature against teams with much larger wage and transfer budgets, once they were on that stage there was a failure to turn performances into wins. The same can be said for his modest trophy haul.
The 51-year-old failed to lift any silverware in England despite mounting several title charges and that has been used against him in the build-up to his anticipated appointment at Chelsea. Guardiola has no qualms over him as a manager though and doesn't think it should be held against him.
Speaking ahead of facing his Paris Saint-Germain side in 2021, Guardiola said: "I'm pretty sure the managers get better. Every season we go through, you have a lot of learnings, and I'm pretty sure he's an excellent manager.
"You can be a top manager and not win titles. The managers that have the chance to win the titles are at top, top clubs with good investments and exceptional players.
"Otherwise, for managers, it is impossible to win. That doesn't mean the managers in the Championship or not in the top six of the Premier League cannot be excellent managers in tactics, communication, leading. It's not necessary to win titles."
Part of Chelsea's very fabric is winning trophies but their league performances since 2017 have dropped markedly, ending up over 20 points behind the leader in each season since then. Pochettino has a track record of improving sides over time which is something that makes him a good fit for this Chelsea situation.
How he copes with the demands from supporters when it comes to winning trophies will be key to truly defining his legacy at SW6.
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