Mauricio Pochettino insists pressure is always ‘massive’ at Chelsea
By Reuben Rosso-Powell, PA
Mauricio Pochettino admitted the pressure to perform is massive at Chelsea after the Blues’ lacklustre performance during their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.
The Blues failed to build on Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Brighton when they fell to Scott McTominay’s late header at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The Chelsea boss acknowledged that the expectations on his shoulders are high, but reiterated that success is only a matter of time.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash at Everton on Sunday, Pochettino said: “We can not forget that we are at Chelsea and the pressure is massive. It is about to win 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 and 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.”
The latest team news from Cobham ahead of our trip to Everton. 📋
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 8, 2023
Chelsea sit in 10th and have made little signs of improvements after last season’s bottom-half finish.
Former Argentina international Pochettino remained hopeful that his young team will eventually challenge for the top four.
“We are going to challenge (for top four),” he said.
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— Premier League (@premierleague) December 8, 2023
“Maybe not now, but for sure in the future. Who knows, we hope as soon as possible, but for sure we are going to challenge.”
Sunday’s opponents Everton have won three out of their last four after their important 3-0 home win over Newcastle on Thursday.
Pochettino, who has only lost to Sean Dyche once in his career, is expecting a difficult challenge from the Toffees.
He added: “He manages in a different style and they can play in different ways.
“I think his teams are always aggressive and they play like Sean’s personality.
“He is aggressive, he’s brave and I think we are going to find a team who will press high and build from the back and be direct.
“It’s going to be interesting because it will be a massive challenge for us.
“We need to match the energy because they are a team who brings great energy.”
Everton’s were deducted 10 points for breaching Premier League financial rules last month.
Pochettino thinks the ruling was unfair and believes it has galvanised the atmosphere inside Goodison Park.
Club Statement. https://t.co/RpHdLJRurc pic.twitter.com/hyFfl9vWxO
— Everton (@Everton) November 17, 2023
“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.
“We are going to find a tough atmosphere and if we want to perform in the Premier League we have to deal with this.”
