Mauricio Pochettino is a born diplomat, with his affable nature always keeping the mood light, and his big smile ready to be deployed whenever tension rises.
It is a skill which served him well at Tottenham, where he fended off years of questions about whether he was happy with Daniel Levy’s transfer policy. Now it is proving vital at Chelsea too.
He is under huge pressure at the moment and the media reminds him in every news conference about negative noises from the stands.
But Pochettino knows that the worst thing he can do is fight back, or even really engage with the fans’ grumbles. He has nothing to gain from it, and he is not letting his pride get the better of him.
He takes responsibility for the team’s issues and refuses to take the bait from the media and snap back at his supporters. It is a far cry from the explosive coaches Chelsea have had in the past.
But all of the grins and chuckles in his arsenal will not save him if results do not improve.
He genuinely does seem to have the full support of the ownership, perhaps as much for financial reasons as any, and it appears they will do all they can to avoid the humiliation of sacking a third coach in two years in charge.
It won’t be hard to win back the fans. All he needs is the results to convince them he is the man to take the team forward.
The question is how – and if – he can get those results.
Will Faulks can be found at Chelsea News, external