Rewarding failure. Bayern and Juve sack coaches for winning leagues without European progress; £700m spent on top of inheriting Kompany, Fernandinho, David Silva, De Bruyne, Aguero etc, yet still nowhere near Championship League success due to his annual tactical implosion. If he couldn’t get a semi with that team, he isn’t going to with the default downgrades he signs to replace them.
He’s previously been very lucky - he inherited a Puyol who’d previously won a Champions League and Euros with Spain, the brilliant Rafa Marquez who succeeded alongside Puyol under Rijkaard, plus Pique who’d learned his trade with Ferdinand and Vidic pre-Pep.
Bayern were European Champions with the best keeper in Europe, Boateng and Lahm who’d go on to win the World Cup plus Alaba, Martinez etc.
When he came here, he’d fall all back on Kompany to lead the defence, signed Walker who Pochettino had turned into the best rightback in the league, plus he had the best killer of counter attacks in world football in Fernandinho to paper over the cracks. This is probably the first season he’s had to forge an defence and it’s components himself - it’s been shambolic. Stones is still daydreaming, Otamendi is still diving in - surely a great coach would have neutralised those basic flaws with 4 years of working with those players? Zabaleta was chaotic, and Kompany was a sub midfielder when Mancini got a grip of them, yet he turned them into two genuinely world class defenders.
That’s why the only defenders we sign should be ready-made elite footballers who know how to defend regardless of tactical directive - like Koulibaly - because all of his project players have failed.