The 2023/24 season has been a frustrating time for Chelsea Football Club. They have struggled in the Premier League all season, and currently reside in ninth in the table, on 47 points, having lost 11 games altogether.
The Blues also faced cup heartbreak at Wembley twice this season. They lost the Carabao Cup final in February against Liverpool, before being eliminated from the FA Cup in the semi-final by reigning champions Manchester City in April.
It has certainly been an unforgiving time for Chelsea, and Mauricio Pochettino’s future at the club has come into question of late. The Argentine has struggled to settle into life at Stamford Bridge and has often been bailed out by summer signing Cole Palmer, who joined the club from Manchester City for £42.5m including add-ons.
Palmer has 20 goals and nine assists in the Premier League for Chelsea so far this season and is currently joint-top of the Golden Boot rankings, alongside former City teammate Erling Haaland.
With question marks over Pochettino's future, rumours have begun to spread about who Chelsea owner Todd Boehly might replace him with. There is one in particular name that has piqued the interest of many Chelsea fans.
Chelsea's managerial plans
One of the leading candidates to have been discussed in recent days is Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi. However, the fact of the matter is that he's not the only manager in the frame to potentially succeed Pochettino.
The man we want to focus on here is former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Hansi Flick. According to Ben Jacobs, who spoke to GiveMeSport last month, the potential appointment of Flick has been “discussed internally” by those within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Following Chelsea’s brutal 5-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night, Pochettino’s Chelsea future is thought to be “hanging in the balance”, according to The Times, and the Blues board could well decide to remove the former PSG manager from his post.
Should they decide to appoint Flick, it will be a relatively easy deal to do, in theory. The 59-year-old, who has had plenty of success as a manager with Bayern, does not currently have a job. Flick’s last role was Germany manager, but he was removed from the post on the 10th of September, 2023, after 25 games in charge and a disappointing 2022 World Cup campaign.
How Flick would benefit Chelsea
There is little doubt about Flick’s pedigree as a successful manager. During his time in charge at Bayern, he won seven trophies, spread across just two seasons, and was described by former Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker as a “fantastic” manager at the time.
The 59-year-old won two Bundesliga titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, the DFB Pokal, the German Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup during his managerial stint in Munich, an exemplary trophy case.
With that being said, he had a disastrous spell as Germany manager, after they crashed out at the group stages of the 2022 World Cup. Flick was a member of the coaching staff for their 2014 triumph, though, as an assistant to then-manager Joachim Low.
However, one thing that works in Flick’s favour is the fact that he “knows how to handle players”, as Oliver Kahn put it. The former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper, and more recently CEO at the Allianz Arena, worked closely with Flick during his time as Bayern manager.
This is certainly something that the former Bayern midfielder could use to his advantage at Stamford Bridge. There are lots of big personalities there, and a fairly sizeable squad, meaning it is hard to keep everyone happy with the amount of playing time they are getting. Flick’s experience in handling big personalities would certainly stand him in good stead at Chelsea.
Said to be "one of the best coaches in the world" by one journalist, Flick’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system could further suit Chelsea, who have a squad ready-made for such a system, such as Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku and Palmer. With that being said, they would certainly have to add some players in a few key areas.
In particular, they could look to strengthen at left-back, with Flick’s system requiring someone who can get up and down the flank with ease, and perhaps a centre-forward more similar to Robert Lewnadowski’s profile.
If Chelsea were to move for Flick in the summer, he could be a shrewd option for the Blues, considering his trophy-winning pedigree and ability to handle lots of big personalities. If given time, he could well be the man to help return them to their former glory.
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