- Pochettino criticized his team’s lack of performance in the draw against Burnley
- Chelsea are currently at the bottom of the distance traveled table this season.
- Arsenal have FINALLY grown up…they used to be soft and you can’t say that anymore. everything is starting
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Mauricio Pochettino fears Chelsea’s decline could be down to his big-money stars getting too comfortable, having made a speech to his team this week about falling standards ahead of their Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Pochettino warned yesterday that they have to “behave like Chelsea” and not like an “exhibition team” for fun, claiming they blew two leads in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Burnley at Stamford Bridge because they shied away from hard yards.
Worried about that costly surrender, Pochettino told his players in a speech that he may have fallen into a comfort zone upon taking over as Chelsea manager, but that his swollen bank account has not made him want to make the “minimum effort.”
“I’m going to explain what I explained to you,” Pochettino said. “When I was at Espanyol, my first experience as a coach, I was at the training ground every morning at 7 in the morning. Then when I moved to Southampton: 6.30am Then Tottenham: 7am. Then PSG: the same, at 6 in the morning. Now again: 6.45 am You can ask the security guy.
‘It’s not going to change. After 15 years, my passion is here, my motivation is football. After 15 years working, your salary increases, as does your bank account. But that can’t put me in a very comfortable zone to say: “Now I arrive at 9 in the morning and leave at 2 in the afternoon.” “I need to keep trying, keep pushing my team and my coaching staff, because we want to win and we want to be competitive.”
Mauricio Pochettino criticized his team’s lack of performance in the draw against Burnley
Pochettino said that his Chelsea cannot be an exhibition team and must learn to compete
Chelsea are last in the Premier League in distance covered this season, although they have played at least one game less than any other team.
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Fearful that players will believe their own hype after arriving with hefty fees and great fanfare, Pochettino continued: “What do I have to do?” It’s arriving early. It’s too much to work more. It’s to run more. It’s being more focused.
‘It’s not now that I arrive at Chelsea (slaps his hand) and I’m so good because people think I’m very good but I make the minimum effort. No, now it’s more responsibility. We feel the responsibility.”
Pochettino’s concerns about comfort may explain why Chelsea have lost so many leads, especially after the break.
Ahead of Wednesday’s matches, a Premier League table for the first halves placed Chelsea in fifth place, while one for the second halves placed them in 18th place.
Pochettino joked that conversations with the team must be ‘bullshit’ when he was told that statistic, but the Argentine added that there are other factors at play, such as the injuries that have plagued his season.
Still on sale on Chelsea’s official website were hospitality tickets for Thursday’s match, costing £5,000 per person for a padded seat behind the team bench.
Pochettino does not want to offer the club’s bettors a repeat of the performance against Burnley.
Pochettino could not confirm whether Christopher Nkunku will appear again this season
Still believing they could qualify for Europe through the Premier League, he continued: “Never be in a comfort zone. If you are in a comfort zone, you lower your level, you lower your standards.
“You can’t draw a game like this (against Burnley) if you’re Chelsea.
‘If you want to win games, it’s not just about playing well with the ball. We cannot be an exhibition team to enjoy.
“We need to chase Burnley players as if they were Manchester United or Real Madrid players. We need to respect aspects of the game.”
