Mauricio Pochettino: Joe Cole on Chelsea manager’s position - ‘He's got the hardest job in world football’

Joe Cole has urged Chelsea to keep faith in Mauricio Pochettino after another turbulent season at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have fallen below expectations again this season and came into the clash with Aston Villa – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - after a chastening 5-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Cole was keen to emphasise the challenges which Pochettino faces in west London, and described his position as "the hardest job in world football".

"I think he's got the hardest job in world football because I think it's clear he's not in complete control of ins and outs; that's for sure,” Cole told TNT Sports.

"Expectations are massive and the club is not in a position where it's meeting the expectation of the fans. In the last 20 years, Chelsea have been as good as any club in Europe, barring Real Madrid, in terms of winning trophies.

"They need to stick with him and move forward; changing managers is not the way to go."

Those sentiments were backed by Glenn Hoddle, who believes that the Blues are showing signs of recovery in their bid to be back competing at the highest level.

"They're a long way from a lot of clubs at the moment, but things can happen and change very quickly,” he explained.

“Look how quickly Villa have changed to become a side going for the Champions League. I've seen enough in Chelsea's performances - against Manchester City three times, and Arsenal at home.

“I've seen enough to suggest they can turn this around and they can start doing it now. They've got to stick by the manager and say 'we're with you next season.'

“They'll improve next year and be better, no doubt."

Meanwhile, Joe Cole hailed Malo Gusto’s excellent progress in his first season at Chelsea, and underlined the Frenchman’s importance to Pochettino’s side.

Gusto missed Saturday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa with a knee injury after also being omitted from the 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal on Tuesday.

“He's been absolutely brilliant,” Cole told TNT Sports. “Arguably, he’s had the hardest job because if Reece James was fit, we probably wouldn't have seen him and how good he is.

“He's been fantastic, given Chelsea penetration down the right and is fantastic going forward.

“Defensively, there is still work to be done but he's 20 years of age. There's real promise, real talent, and him not being on the team-sheet is a blow for Chelsea.”

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Aston Villa v Chelsea will be live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 19:00 UK time on Saturday, April 27 ahead of kick-off at 20:00.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder tool.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.