Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has criticized Chelsea's decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino, calling it "harsh" and a "sad" moment for the English Premier League.
The Argentine coach was dismissed this week after just a year in charge, despite leading Chelsea to a sixth-place finish and securing European football for next season, three points ahead of Newcastle in seventh.
"Very surprised," Howe remarked in Melbourne after winning a post-season friendly against Pochettino's former club Tottenham on Wednesday evening. "I think Mauricio is a very, very good manager, he's done incredibly well regardless of the club he has managed in various countries. I think it's sad for the Premier League when a manager loses his job," he added. "Especially when I think it is harsh as his performances have been very strong."
Despite Pochettino guiding the Blues into Europe, it was a challenging year for the former Spurs and Paris Saint-Germain boss.
Chelsea's fans booed the team after several poor performances, and they suffered defeats in the League Cup final to a youthful Liverpool side and in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
Nonetheless, Howe believed Pochettino was doing "a really good job," noting, "The latter part of their season their form was very strong, they pipped us for sixth place."
Some reports in England suggest the highly-regarded Howe could be a candidate for the Chelsea job. Pochettino is the third manager to be sacked since the United States-based Todd Boehly consortium bought Chelsea, following Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Newcastle has one more friendly to wrap up their season, facing an A-League All Stars side on Friday, again in Melbourne.
