Gianfranco Zola has backed Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino despite his difficult first season in charge.
The Argentine boss has come under pressure from fans as the Blues have struggled for consistency, especially in the Premier League where they remain an outside bet for the European slots, sitting in 11th place in the table.
Despite their patchy league form, Pochettino has still led the London club to the Carabao Cup Final and has an upcoming clash with Manchester City in the FA Cup Semi-final.
Talking on William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, Zola stated he still had faith in the current boss at Stamford Bridge and believes he's still the man for job.
“When Pochettino was appointed as manager, I thought he was the best option for the project at hand,” Zola said.
“We had a project to bring in young talent, and to develop them, and I believe to do that job, Pochettino is the best man for it.
“Obviously at the time, I didn’t expect all the difficulties they seem to be going through at the moment. I’m not sure what the main problem is because I’m not with them every day. It’s really difficult to have an opinion on it if you’re not close to the team – I still believe Poch was the right choice.”
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