Pochettino reveals reason behind his absence from lap of appreciation after last game of Chelsea this season
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, whose future at the club remains uncertain, has given an explanation for his early departure from the pitch before the Chelsea team’s lap of appreciation at the end of the season.
Although the Argentine manager has had a challenging season at Stamford Bridge, a run of five straight victories, which included a 2-1 triumph over Bournemouth, guaranteed sixth place in the Premier League with a strong chance of a trip to Europe the following year.
With an incredible goal-of-the-season candidate from the halfway line, Moises Caicedo opened the score in the match on Sunday. The second half began with goals from both teams within minutes, and Chelsea had to endure a lot of pressure in the last few minutes to hold on and secure all three points.
It remains unknown if Pochettino will still be in command for the upcoming campaign. The fact that he departed the pitch before the traditional lap of honour on Sunday and that Pochettino and his entire coaching staff exited down the tunnel before he could address the crowd only served to heighten the mystery around his future.
Although he gave no indication as to his future at the club, Pochettino downplayed the reason for his early departure, saying he only needed to take care of his media responsibilities. When the team was still out on the pitch, Pochettino discussed his early departure in his post-match conference by saying:
“Because there was no time, because it was Thiago Silva [farewell]. Then, when the players started [to thank the fans], Adrian [Chelsea’s press officer] who is responsible said: ’You need to go inside.’”
“Tomorrow my staff are going to fly, unless they decide tonight to stay, they are going to go for holidays. And I’m going to stay a few days more in London. My door is always open and my phone is going to be on.”
Given that the Blues were having a rough season so far, eyebrows were raised about the managerial job that Pochettino was doing. Being the subject of continuous criticism, the Argentine boss led Chelsea to 5 consecutive victories towards the end of the campaign.
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If Manchester United wins, the West Londoners will be relegated to the Conference League. Meaning they will have to wait until the FA Cup final on Saturday to find out which European competition they will be participating in.
As for Pochettino’s future, it still remains unknown. Although many speculations have been made regarding the club’s plans to sack him, an official decision has yet to be announced.
