by Mauricio Pochettino claims he feels “supported” by Chelsea’s hierarchy and had positive one-on-one talks with co-owner Behdad Eghbali following Sunday’s disappointing Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool.
The under-pressure Chelsea boss also received a “very nice text” from fellow co-owner Todd Boehly and said he was “confident” he would find time to make the club successful.
“Why not?” said Pochettino. “I am confident. Until they decide to tell me something else. But, right now, I don’t think they’re going to tell me anything different.”
Pochettino has urged Chelsea to follow the examples of Manchester City and Liverpool in giving their managers time to succeed – with Jurgen Klopp taking almost four years before winning his first trophy, the Champions League in 2019.
“And the result [of being patient]?” Pochettino asked. “What kind of result are they getting? Are they successful or not?
“The club supported Klopp and continued, changing players, changing the way to play. Now, they are getting what they deserve for that.
“It’s a big achievement in this project for us, after seven, eight months, to reach the final because we can’t say anything different.
“No one says anything negative [about Liverpool or City]. It’s like if you win, you win, you lose, you lose, it’s okay. Anything that happens.
“But at Chelsea it’s completely different because of that pressure [£1billion spent on the squad]. For me, it’s unfair, but having said that, I accept the comments.”
Commenting on the huge spending spree, since Boehly and Eghbali took control, Pochettino has admitted he is “in love”.
“Always this £1billion [figure]. I do not know. It is, I think, unfair. That’s my opinion from here,” he said. “When Chelsea lose it’s always because, because, because [spending too much]. No, Chelsea circumstances are Chelsea circumstances.
“When the new owners came up with the idea, they wanted to build something different from the past. That’s what we understand. We are part of this structure that wants to go forward, this project, but it is only the beginning.
“That’s why we can’t compare it to the past. We were talking about it [Nicolas] Jackson needed to score. But Jackson can’t compare to him [Didier] Drogba. Drogba was one of the best strikers in the world. It is difficult to have another Drogba present.”
The other £1 billion question, of course, is whether Pochettino will be given the time he wants. The 51-year-old signed a two-year deal last summer, with the option of a third season, but is under intense scrutiny with Chelsea 11th in the Premier League and after losing Sunday’s final to a depleted Liverpool.
It makes Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round at home to Leeds United all the more important and the quality of European competition is likely to be a key factor in deciding Pochettino’s future. He admitted that Europe was “always an objective” but said he had not been formally told he had to qualify. “Who? From the sporting directors and owners? I don’t remember, I don’t remember,” he said.
When asked about the owners, Pochettino said: “I feel the support from them. I can’t lie to you. When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset. Almost crying. When I got there, it was so hard to stop myself. But when I saw Behdad, I saw Todd and I shook hands with both of them, one with one hand, the other with my other hand.
“Then I got a text later, a very nice text that I can show. Then I met Behdad two hours later, outside Wembley in London. It was very, very good and everyone was disappointed but happy with the performance in 90 minutes, but knew we couldn’t keep that energy in extra time. I think people are smart enough to understand.”
Does this mean he will get time?
“It’s not in my hands,” Pochettino said. “We have a very good relationship with the owners, with the sports directors. It is up to them to trust them or not. Always. It’s not up to the coach’s decision.”
He added that “No one put a gun to our head and said, ‘You need to sign here'” when he agreed to take over at Chelsea and the club’s history shows he acted quickly to change coaches in the past – even a job -Roman Abramovich where he is already the third manager to work under the new regime.
But Pochettino said: “The problem is that we need time and patience to win games. And we need patience from the owner to give the possibility to continue.”
It was contradicted by the fact that the Liverpool team that finished the final was younger – Chelsea’s team actually averaged 22.6 years compared to 24.1 years, although that argument misses the point that Klopp’s team were certainly in much more inexperienced including three academically inexperienced teenagers. first team minutes.
“They say young lads go on the pitch but Malo Gusto is 20, Cole Palmer is 21, ‘but you paid £50 million’, but he’s the same age as a guy playing for Liverpool. That’s how you judge the team,” insisted Pochettino.
“That’s wonderful as you say [Liverpool] a young team – yes, but we were younger than them. It’s always Chelsea and there’s always a ‘billion’ and you can’t fight that idea.”
Christopher Nkunku, who came on as a substitute at Wembley, suffered another injury which kept him sidelined for up to four weeks.
