Manage the owners, trim the squad and Pochettino’s other key tasks at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino needs Chelsea’s controlling co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, to see him as the boss. The new manager must pay attention to Arsène Wenger saying that Boehly was wrong to enter the dressing room after Chelsea’s defeat by Brighton to tell the players that the season has been “embarrassing”. Boundaries have to be established. Pochettino’s has to be the loudest voice.

Yet there will be a political element to the role. Thomas Tuchel clashed with Chelsea’s owners, who have made a series of questionable decisions during their first year, and Graham Potter lacked clout. Pochettino, the third permanent manager to work for Boehly and Eghbali, needs to find a productive understanding with his employers.

This is where Pochettino’s experience of working at Paris Saint-Germain should come in handy. He needs to minimise interference from above and make sure he is not landed with unwanted signings. Equally, though, the hierarchy want a manager capable of working in a collaborative culture. Pochettino has to be willing to engage with the owners. He has his trusted transfer advisers but he cannot ignore Chelsea’s assortment of recruitment experts. The task is not just to be tough; it is to be a diplomat.

Chelsea’s failure to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2016 is not ideal given the loss of revenue will raise concerns about Financial Fair Play, although insiders insist it is not an issue this summer. However the smartest coaches are capable of turning any negative into a positive. In Pochettino’s case the good thing about having fewer midweek fixtures is that it gives him more time on the training ground.

Do not be surprised if Chelsea begin to look like one of the sharpest teams in the league.