Mauricio Pochettino says pressure at Chelsea is ‘massive’ but future is bright
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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has not had the easiest of starts to life at Stamford Bridge, but he believes success will come eventually.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON – Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted that the pressure on his team to perform is massive after another setback against Manchester United in midweek but insisted he was “building something that will pay off”.
The Blues failed to build on last week’s 3-2 English Premier League victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, falling to Scott McTominay’s second-half header in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Dec 6.
But Pochettino believes it is only a matter of time before success beckons for the big-spending west London club.
“We cannot forget that we are at Chelsea and the pressure is massive,” he said ahead of his side’s trip to Everton on Dec 10. “It is about winning and when we don’t win, we feel the pressure.
“That is why we know what we need to do and it’s a matter of time. Sometimes it’s six months, sometimes it’s a year, but we need to analyse the situation. We are building something that will pay off. We knew when we accepted this offer that it was going to be tough.”
Chelsea are 10th in the table at the time Pochettino spoke on Dec 8 and have made little concrete progress since last season’s bottom-half finish.
But the Argentinian, who previously guided Tottenham Hotspur to four straight top-four finishes between 2016 and 2019, remains hopeful his young team will eventually challenge for a top-four spot.
Everton, despite their 10-point deduction for breaching the league’s financial rules, have won three of their last four games, including a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United on Dec 7.
Pochettino, who has lost to Toffees boss Sean Dyche only once in his career, believes the ruling has galvanised fans at Goodison Park.
“In adversity you can build something special,” he said. “When something like this happens, it will unify everyone and make them feel part of the unfair decision.”
On Dyche’s team, he added: “He is aggressive, he’s brave and we are going to find a team who will press high and build from the back and be direct. We need to match the energy because they are a team who brings great energy.”
Chelsea will be missing the injured Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka. Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, and Christopher Nkunku are not fully fit.
Everton have less health worries, with Jordan Pickford, Amadou Onana, James Garner and Seamus Coleman facing late fitness checks.
Dyche described Chelsea as “a very strong outfit” and said: “I know they’ve been a bit up and down. But I was at Old Trafford, I see they’ve still got quality, still got pace, still got a depth of experience in football.
“So we’ve got to be ready without a doubt.” AFP, REUTERS
