Pochettino warns Chelsea star despite impressive performance against Newcastle

Mauricio Pochettino has told his Chelsea side that they must build on their win over Newcastle or face further struggles – and warned Mykhaylo Mudryk he still needs to raise his level despite scoring a fine goal against the Magpies.

Speaking after his team’s 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea manager praised the contributions of substitute Mudryk, who secured the win with a goal in the 76th minute.

The Ukrainian made a great impression coming off the bench to essentially seal the game for Chelsea. He raced to claim the ball before skillfully evading Fabian Schar and Martin Dubravka to score, making it 3-1.

“It was a very good goal and that is what we expect from a player from the bench – impact,” Pochettino stated. “Then it is about competing with different players in his position. Then he will deserve to (start).”

This crucial goal came at a key moment in the game, putting Chelsea back in control – something the Blues have struggled with recently.

They were leading 1-0 before, after a series of errors, Malo Gusto was caught out while attempting to juggle the ball in midfield, and then Trevoh Chalobah rushed up to help, leaving a significant gap at the back.

Alexander Isak took advantage to level the score for the visitors. Nicolas Jackson had earlier given his team an early sixth-minute lead with a clever flick from Cole Palmer’s shot, directing it out of Martin Dubravka’s reach and into the bottom corner of the goal.

Cole Palmer notched his 13th goal of the season for Chelsea in the second half. After receiving a pass from Enzo Fernandez, Palmer spun around and with a powerful strike found the back of the net, giving his side a 2-1 advantage.

Mudryk then conjured up some magic for the crucial moment of the match but Chelsea still had a late worry when Jacob Murphy fired a stunner into the top corner. But the hosts managed to hang on for victory.

Pochettino said after: “We need to understand that we are Chelsea. We are in a project that is completely different (to the past). Some people might be confused. When people don’t want to listen, it’s difficult.

“But we are trying to explain we are a different Chelsea, we are building something different. It’s going to be tough.”

Encouraging his squad, he reminded them: “We need to keep believing, even when it’s tough circumstances. We played (the Carabao Cup) final, 120 minutes, then after three days we play the FA Cup and we play Brentford. In six days we played three very tough games, nearly with the same team.

“It was really tough. If that means we are a disaster, OK. The most important thing is it’s not affecting the team. They know what they need to do and we keep believing.”

Mauricio Pochettino responds to Chelsea supporters chanting Jose Mourinho’s name

Mauricio Pochettino has hit out at Chelsea supporters for chanting the name of old manager Jose Mourinho during a tricky run of form for the Blues.

Last weekend’s draw against Brentford was the 16th time from 26 games in the Premier League this season that Chelsea have dropped points. A remarkable record, not least because of the results and subsequent success supporters of the west London outfit have become used to in recent years.

Of course, one of their most impactful managers during the modern era was Mourinho himself, with the Portuguese manager guiding Chelsea to eight major honours across two separate spells as boss. He is a much-loved figure at the capital club and one supporters have been recently yearning for with reminiscent chants.

“I respect Jose, he is my friend. He was amazing for this club, his medals here are amazing,” Pochettino said when asked about the Mourinho chants.

“We need to be pushing and believe in us and accept the things that come from the fans. If the players believe that with another coach they can do better… maybe they can talk with the owner or sporting director.”

He added: “You need to ask the players. You can ask. Do you see me worried about this? No. Is it a problem of attitude? No. It is a problem? No. You can see in the way that they behave that they are behind us. Of course there is no doubt.”

It comes at a crucial point in Pochettino’s Chelsea career, with rumours about his future continuing to spread. There has been talk that if Chelsea fail to qualify for Europe next season, be that in the Champions League or any of the Europa competitions, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss could be sacked less than one season into the job.

Despite this, Pochettino has doubled down on his suitability for the role, suggesting the Chelsea he’s currently in charge of is much different to the one Mourinho managed: “It is a different project, today is a different Chelsea. My mistake is to accept to come here if you say to me (it is not). Because if you are going to judge us compared to the past of Chelsea, no one is going to win. People need to understand.

“It is completely unfair to compare different periods of the club. The circumstances are different today than in the past. I came here because I knew it was going to be tough but always knew we would need time and belief. The project is about young players and a new team, to build a new team, always you need time.”

Ex-England manager wants to “fly back from Dubai tomorrow” to replace Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino’s stint at Stamford Bridge seems to be under threat as Sam Allardyce has offered to “fly back from Dubai tomorrow” to take over at Chelsea.

That’s after a Chelsea fan demanded the former England boss replaced Mauricio Pochettino on a radio phone-in.

Poch is coming under huge pressure from fans after losing the Carabao Cup final 1-0 to Liverpool on Sunday – despite Jurgen Klopp fielding a makeshift side.

The Blues are currently 11th in the league and cut adrift from the European places.

Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Leeds represents Pochettino’s last chance to salvage Chelsea’s season – with his job security looking shaky should he be knocked out.

Allardyce hasn’t worked since his brief four game stint with Leeds at the end of last season and has since been living in the Middle East.

When asked if he’d take on the Chelsea job should Pochettino be sacked, Allardyce said: “Oh yes, I’d fly back from Dubai tomorrow for that – get me there!,” he joked to talkSPORT Breakfast.

He said the first thing he’d do as Blues boss would be to “sort the defence out.

“It’s the worst defending I’ve seen in the Premier League for a long, long time.

“People see that as a negative punt. There’s a big thing on Monday Night Football about Manchester United and how many shots they’ve conceded and then looking at the top teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

“They have the best defensive records. It’s a simple mathematical equation. You win the league if you have the best defence not the best attack.

“The best attack gives you the opportunity to get the points in the end but the defensive side of it wins you the league.

“The defending has been ignored for many years now and I’ve never seen such bad defending for a long time.”

Pep Guardiola aims dig at Mauricio Pochettino’s comments after Man City draw

Pep Guardiola has seemingly had a dig at comments made by Mauricio Pochettino after Manchester City’s draw with Chelsea.

City were held to a 1-1 stalemate at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League. Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for the London club in the first half, and it took a Rodri strike in the final minutes of the contest to rescue a point for Guardiola’s team.

The draw means City are now four points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table. City’s game in hand comes against Brentford in midweek, before travelling to face Bournemouth next weekend.

Pochettino spoke to BBC Match of the Day after the game, where he explained how “pleased” and “proud” he was of Chelsea’s performance. The remarks from Pochettino were put to Guardiola, and the City boss appeared to aim a dig at the Chelsea manager.

“Good, congratulations,” Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day when informed of Pochettino’s comments. “If he believes that, that is good for his team.”

“We knew it [Chelsea would be a challenge],” Guardiola added. “That was a good game.

“We played incredible in the second half. The first half was not our levels but to compete against them teams you have to play 90 minutes not just one half.”

Pochettino explained why he was happy with Chelsea’s performance against City, particularly in the first half. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss went on to label City as the best team in world football with his analysis of the performance.

“I’m so pleased. I told the players I feel so proud,” said Pochettino. “In the last three games we’ve started to create a very good spirit. That’s the way we want to build our team. Today was a very good opportunity to show we’re going where we want.

“The first half was really, really good. We only conceded one chance – against a team like Manchester City who, for me, are the best team in the world.

“In the second half they force you to go deep, but we created chances to score the second goal and things could have been different. It’s important that the players realise that football is really competitive and to reach the level we want, we need to suffer.”

Revealed: Five managers emerge as Pochettino successor as Chelsea draw up shortlist amid pressure for change

Chelsea have reportedly drawn up a shortlist of managers amid fresh calls for Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked by after the Blues dropped into the bottom half of the table as a result of their 4-2 defeat by Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

Thiago Silva’s wife has even called for change and with the Argentine seemingly unable to get the most out of a squad that has cost over £1billion, his head is firmly on the chopping block.

They want to have a replacement lined up before Pochettino is sacked, they don’t want a repeat of how long his appointment took.

Hansi Flick, who was reportedly at Stamford Bridge during the awful Wolves encounter, is one of the favourites, liked for pedigree and availability. Also told Girona manager Michel Sanchez is appreciated.

Xabi Alonso

Bayern Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is currently top of the Bundesliga table and potentially earmarked to take over from Jurgen Klopp at his former club Liverpool. However, the Spaniard could be enticed by Chelsea’s project, with plenty of talented young players, and the chance to return to England this month.

However, it would be a very difficult ask to prise him away from Germany. Alonso has been tipped to become the next elite manager and Chelsea would be remiss if they did not at least try to hire him if Pochettino were to be sacked.

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has already made his stance clear that he wants a return to the Premier League, albeit aimed towards the Manchester United position rather than Chelsea. The ‘Special One’ remains a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and if he can recapture elements from his first two spells at the club for a third time then it would be a welcomed homecoming.

Mourinho is currently out of work having been sacked by Roma last month, but his authoritarian approach could be exactly what Chelsea’s young squad need as they appear deprived of leadership.

Xavi

Xavi announced that he would be leaving Barcelona at the end of the season after the Spanish icon largely enjoyed a positive spell in management at the Nou Camp. Despite trailing La Liga leaders Real Madrid by seven points, his time in charge will be remembered fondly.

He navigated a financial minefield while guiding Barcelona to the title last season and plays an attractive style of football that the Chelsea board would insist on in their Pochettino replacement.

Thomas Frank

Brentford boss Thomas Frank does represent a more pragmatic approach, but he continues to build on solid work at Chelsea’s local rivals and regularly outperforms their rivals who have a larger budget to work with.

As Chelsea are now forced to operate with financial constraints, marginal gains in all areas will be necessary and Frank is a specialist in that subject.

The appointment could also give Chelsea a helping hand in their pursuit of Ivan Toney, as the England forward enjoys a strong relationship with his Brentford boss and a reunion at Stamford Bridge could give them an edge over other interested parties.

Michel Sanchez

Girona head coach Michel Sanchez has put himself on the radar of English teams after guiding his side to an unlikely title charge this season. Spearheaded by Artem Dovbyk, Girona and Michel have been this year’s surprise package and will be in line for a move to a top European club.

He impressively took Girona to promotion in his first season in charge before a 10th-placed finish and then an unexpected push for the title. Football.London claim that he is one of the names in the frame to replace Pochettino in addition to being the current bookies favourite to take over at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham Hotspur sack Mauricio Pochettino

Premier League club Tottenham have sacked Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and Antoni Jimenez.

The Argentine joined the White Hart Lane club five years ago and turned the fortune of the club around, taking them to their first-ever Champions League final.

Chairman of the club, Daniel Levy, said: “We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste.

“Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.

‘“It falls to the Board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the Club’s best interests.”

Levy continues in his statement: “Mauricio and his coaching staff will always be part of our history. I have the utmost admiration for the manner in which he dealt with the difficult times away from a home ground whilst we built the new stadium and for the warmth and positivity he brought to us.

“I should like to thank him and his coaching staff for all they have contributed. They will always be welcome here.

“We have a talented squad. We need to re-energise and look to deliver a positive season for our supporters.”

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