Football London
Jamie Carragher has sent a warning to Thomas Tuchel, claiming that the Chelsea board will not hesitate to sack the German coach if he doesn’t win any major silverware this season.
The Blues have hit a bit of a rough patch since they went top of the Premier League a couple of months ago, with just three wins from their last seven games leaving them third in the table, four points off leaders Manchester City and three points off fellow title contenders Liverpool.
There was also a feeling of discontent among the Stamford Bridge faithful after Chelsea’s last game against a depleted and out-of-form Everton side ended 1-1 despite the home side’s dominance.
While the title race is very much still on, as is the quest for the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League, former Liverpool defender turned pundit Carragher fears for Tuchel’s job, pointing out that past Chelsea managers have been sacked for failing to deliver trophies in spite of what was previously achieved.
Writing for the The Telegraph, he said: “Recent history tells us it does not take much to cause a tremor at Chelsea Football Club. Where some clubs see a blip, the Stamford Bridge board tend to identify a full-blown emergency.
“You can be sure there is some anxiety within the Chelsea hierarchy after the latest setback. Those are the rules Chelsea have established with their previous managerial decisions.
“Usually, it is fans or media accused of an over-reaction after a couple of poor results. Chelsea have built a reputation of being more impatient than their top four rivals.”
Hiring and firing managers in quick succession has been the norm in West London since the Roman Abramovich era began, with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri all sacked shortly after winning major honours with the Blues.
While often criticised, it is a policy that seems to work for Chelsea, proven most recently this year, when Tuchel won the Champions League just six months after replacing the sacked Frank Lampard.
“This is Chelsea’s way. Rinse, repeat and keep winning,” continued Carragher.
“Tuchel understood when he took the job that while Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will always have the backing…
