Mauricio Pochettino made a big impact on Nicolas Jackson (Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
On Monday night, Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino decided to part ways, with the manager only staying on for a single year while leading the team to a sixth-place Premier League result.
Nicolas Jackson, the striker for Chelsea, expressed his emotions after the Blues announced manager Mauricio Pochettino’s departure.
After a sluggish start to the season, Chelsea was led by former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino to a sixth-place finish at Stamford Bridge last summer. The West London team finished the season five points outside of the Champions League spots despite having only lost one of their previous fifteen league games, against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
During a season of testing, Jackson has benefited from Pochettino’s support. He posted a picture of himself with the manager on Instagram along with two facepalm emojis. It was one of many posts he made regarding the manager’s exit, one of which contained his best wishes for the Argentine.
The frontman for Senegal wrote, “Love you, coach.” “Wish we could spend more time together. However, may God keep blessing you and your loved ones. I appreciate your guidance and encouragement; you are a real fighter and lion. Best wishes.”
Jackson also included a November Instagram post from Pochettino. At the time, Chelsea had just defeated Tottenham 4-1 and drawn 4-4 with Manchester City, with Jackson scoring 4 goals in each of the two contests.
The caption on Pochettino’s post said, “Very proud and happy of the players for the attitude and results they have produced in two difficult fixtures during this week.” “Having this feeling as we head into an international break is incredibly satisfying, but I wish we could play another game sooner!
“We want to create something truly unique at Chelsea FC, and this is precisely how we want the players to act and react. We have already experienced some highs and lows this season, and the players are demonstrating to everyone their ability to compete against any team. We are grateful to each and every one of you for your unwavering support of the team.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea tenure has come to an end ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Jackson finished with 14 goals and five assists for the season, including a hat-trick against Spurs and a goal against City. The former Villarreal star was greatly impacted by Pochettino, but a new manager will need to have the same effect.
“We would like to thank Mauricio for his service this season on behalf of the entire Chelsea team. In a joint statement following Pochettino’s departure, Chelsea’s sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley stated, “He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career.”
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for giving me the chance to be a part of this football club’s history,” stated Pochettino. The Club is now in a strong position to continue growing in the upcoming years in both the Premier League and Europe.”
