Mauricio Pochettino insists he is enjoying life at Chelsea despite defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City last week which overshadowed his side’s recent revival.
The Argentinian captained his side to a 5-0 thrashing by the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, a lackluster display that came three days after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by City, who A third consecutive campaign without a major domestic club or club confirmed. European silverware.
Some supporters – including those from the away section of north London, who held up banners – have questioned the will of the players, while Pochettino himself has been targeted by fans at Stamford Bridge more than once this season. Because patience has been shown with results and performances. Experienced
Chelsea are ninth in the table and need a strong final if they are to avoid missing out on European qualification for a second year in a row, starting with a trip to fourth-placed Aston Villa on Saturday.
The manager said recent setbacks have not dampened his enthusiasm for the task of returning the club to its former glory.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “I think it’s easy to be in a project that’s doing everything well, winning games, it’s very easy.
“The problem is when you need to identify problems, figure out every single day why things happen. A lot of coaching staffs can’t do that.
“I always prefer to be at the top: the top organisation, win, win, win. But we enjoy (the job) because this club deserves to be in another position. We develop them in all areas. I’m trying to help. It’s interesting because it’s completely different from any other club.
“We try to enjoy it, because it’s hard to give your best if you’re not happy.”
Pochettino could be without as many as 12 players for the trip to Villa Park, with Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka the latest injury doubts.
Enzo Fernandez was ruled out for the rest of the season on Thursday after undergoing groin surgery, while neither Reece James nor Levi Colwell are set to feature despite returning to training with the squad. Cole Palmer, however, is set to return after missing out on a hamstring injury.
Despite progress being hampered by the ongoing injury crisis, reports this week suggested the manager’s job could be in doubt if the team fail to qualify for Europe.
“I think we are good as a coaching staff, helping the players develop and improve,” Pochettino said. But it’s not just us. There are many coaching staffs that are good, helping players and organizations get better.
“We’re not that naive in that way – if we believe we’re the best, we’re definitely not the best.
These players need time. (Cole) Palmer (joint top scorer in the Premier League) is an exception, but I think we have other players who could be top. You cannot compare each other.
“It’s a tough process they have to go through to get better. Patience is the most important thing, but it’s the hardest thing.”
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
