Mauricio Pochettino has claimed Chelsea are “building from zero” and urged supporters to give him time to reverse his team’s poor form.
While Pochettino’s position is not under immediate threat, the head coach is under growing pressure after humiliating defeats against Liverpool and Wolves. The fans were mutinous during the Wolves game and the mood around Chelsea’s training ground is low. Questions have been raised about Pochettino’s tactics and the squad’s application in training.
The team’s inexperience is not helping matters. The decision by the owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, to focus on signing young players is yet to pay off.
That has led to criticism in some quarters of the recruitment strategy overseen by the sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and the anger will grow if Chelsea lose their FA Cup fourth-round replay away against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
However Pochettino, who told his players during a meeting on Tuesday that he trusts them more than ever, remained defiant before facing Villa. “We need time and people need to understand why we need time,” the Argentinian said.
“It’s about creating a team. It’s like building a house. You need to be sure of all the steps you take. We are building from zero. Always it takes time. Look at the project of Manchester City or Liverpool. It’s always about time and a very clear leadership like Pep [Guardiola] or Jürgen [Klopp]. It’s so clear from there you build these projects.”
Pochettino joked that his team’s inconsistency would not make him lose his thick brown hair. “Football is my passion, not my job,” he said. “To be focused on playing football you need to be free in your mind. You can’t let it be affected because of the stock market in New York or Tokyo, or the weather in I don’t know where because the farms cannot grow the cereals. That is why I keep my hair like this. It’s because I do not suffer for things that I am not in charge of. I only suffer for sport, for football, to try to improve the players.”
“That is sport. You can win or lose. If there is no rain at my farm I cannot grow the crops. You kill the business of my family on the farm and they need money. That is stress. With that you can lose your hair. But I cannot lose my hair because the opponent was better than us.”
Pochettino cleared the air with Thiago Silva after the Chelsea defender’s wife appeared to call for a change in management on social media during the Wolves game. “He came today to talk with me,” the former Tottenham manager said. “It’s a private thing.”
The manager also revealed that he received a supportive text message from the club’s owners after the Wolves defeat. “I think we are all together in this and that’s important,” Pochettino said.
“I received a very good text from [the owners],” he added. “Of course I am in contact with them and the sporting director every day.”
