Keep believing, working and pushing, Mauricio Pochettino urges injury-hit Chelsea
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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure again, having lost to Manchester United and Everton in their last two games.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON – Mauricio Pochettino has one thing on his mind as Chelsea prepare to host Sheffield United in the English Premier League – how to avoid a third consecutive defeat with an injury-depleted squad.
The Blues head into the Dec 16 match at Stamford Bridge on the back of a 2-1 loss at Manchester United and a 2-0 defeat at Everton last weekend, which left them in 12th in the table.
Promoted Sheffield, buoyed by the return of boss Chris Wilder, beat Brentford 1-0 at home following a 2-0 loss to Liverpool.
Chelsea have been hit by injuries this season, the latest being goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and captain Reece James in the Everton game, and Pochettino has called on his men to “keep pushing” despite the difficulties.
“It’s like when you live in a house and suffer problems and need to delay,” he said of the impact on the squad.
“That in football happens when you’re involved in a project to build something, and you don’t want to suffer problems.
“Reece was one of our key players and captain. What can we do? We need to keep believing and working. We need to build a structure and take more time. But I have no doubt, in the end we are going to succeed.
“We talked a lot this week about belief and trust. Now we are not in a position that is nice to see. It is a reality. But we have talented players, now it is to believe and step up and to keep pushing. We are going to fight for everything.”
Another disheartening defeat would mark the first time in 10 years that the Argentinian has overseen three straight Premier League losses – his Southampton side suffered the same fate in December 2013.
The Blues have already lost 18 times in 2023, with only Bournemouth (19) having more defeats for the calendar year.
The 2-0 loss to Everton also meant that Chelsea have now conceded at least two goals for the fifth consecutive league game, so Pochettino will need a change in fortunes sooner rather than later.
Besides Sanchez and James, Marc Cucurella was also withdrawn against the Toffees, and the trio will join Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka on the sidelines.
Sheffield will be missing the injured Chris Basham, John Egan, Tom Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Rhian Brewster, while Daniel Jebbison is ill.
Despite winning against Brentford, the Blades are still rooted to the bottom of the league, but they are just trailing 19th-placed Burnley on goal difference and a point behind Luton Town.
Wilder, whose first stint was from 2016 to 2021, will hope to continue the momentum, but he would have noted that Sheffield had lost their previous three meetings with Chelsea in all competitions with an aggregate of 2-8.
“They have a world-class manager and a really good team,” he said of the Blues.
“Their roster is one packed with talent, especially at the top end of the pitch with pace and power. But we have to go there with belief. The first half an hour of the game is vital for us. We need a big start there.”
