Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino makes plea for patience from club owners
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has asked his club's owners to be patient and give him time to improve the club's fortunes.
In Short
- Mauricio Pochettino calls for patience after Chelsea's League Cup defeat
- Pochettino expresses confidence in team's progress despite scrutiny
- Pochettino refutes claims about job security, stresses need for time and patience
Manager Mauricio Pochettino urged Chelsea's owners to be patient and give him the time he needed to return to winning ways and turn around the Premier League club's woes. The Argentine manager is under intense pressure following Sunday's 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the League Cup final, while two-time Champions League winners Chelsea are also 11th in the league standings and face a difficult battle in qualifying for European play.
Pochettino, whose future is uncertain after losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, was defiant ahead of meeting Leeds United in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night. The Argentinian feels Chelsea have made progress this season and is convinced there will be no knee-jerk reactions from the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership.
The London club has previously been known for its revolving door strategy, with managers quickly fired after failing to win trophies, but Pochettino expressed confidence that the owners will not act fast.
"The staff of the club, after eight months we have built a very good bond. When players really believe in the way we are working it takes time," Pochettino told reporters on Saturday. "The problem is that we need time and patience to win games. And we need the patience from the owner to give the possibility to keep going. "I feel the support from them. I cannot lie to you. When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset. Nearly crying. But I saw Behdad (Eghbali), I saw Todd (Boehly) and I shook hands with both of them."
"He was really, really good - disappointed like everyone but happy with the performance in 90 minutes but knew we couldn't keep that energy in extra time. I think people are clever enough to understand."
Pochettino denied that he had been warned that his job security is dependent on Chelsea, who are now 11th in the Premier League, qualifying for Europe. He voiced frustration with those who respond to every unsatisfactory performance by citing the £1 billion spent on transfers.