Mauricio Pochettino addressed a room full of journalists as pressure mounted on the Chelsea manager. The Blues squad and management have received harsh criticism following their Saturday defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
For the time being, it appears that everything is going as usual. Pochettino’s employment is not under immediate jeopardy, according to football.london, and Chelsea will reassess his situation at the end of the season.
Inevitably, he was asked multiple questions about his future during the pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s game against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. His job takes priority over the FA Cup fourth round rematch. The complete transcript of Pochettino’s press conference is available here.
“Of course, we are disappointed because the way we lost the game and performed was not in accordance with our strategy or how we wanted to compete.” But I think we need to keep going because I don’t think we can lose focus after two defeats when, 10 days ago, I believe we were talking after Aston Villa about how we deserved to win and how well we were competing.
“Of course, I’m disappointed, but this happens all the time in sports. Chelsea is doing things differently than before. Being consistent is the most challenging thing right now.”
“Of course, we are disappointed because the way we lost the game and performed was not in accordance with our strategy or how we wanted to compete.” But I think we need to keep going because I don’t think we can lose focus after two defeats when, 10 days ago, I believe we were talking after Aston Villa about how we deserved to win and how well we were competing.
“Of course, I’m disappointed, but this happens all the time in sports. Chelsea is doing things differently than before. Being consistent is the most challenging thing right now.”
“After it said, ‘Pochettino said the players were not good enough’.” What? It is not meant to take my words out of context. We were not good enough today, or in this game, and that is the reality, which I do not want to disguise. That is why you should be cautious about how certain people interpret what I say. Some people take advantage of the fact that we may lose some games to say things I would never say. That bothered me a little, but it’s all part of the business.
“The most difficult part is explaining to my wife, who asks, ‘Why are you saying he’s not good enough? Look at this guy, he’s a world champion, and then I say, “I never
