Mauricio Pochettino Denies Allegations of Disparaging Chelsea Players’ Quality
Mauricio Pochettino has denied making statements suggesting that Chelsea’s players lack quality, asserting that his words after the defeat against Wolves were misinterpreted.
Following Chelsea’s 4-2 loss at Stamford Bridge, where they faced boos from the crowd, Pochettino expressed understanding of the fans’ frustration but emphasized that both he and the team fell short of expectations this season.
Ahead of the FA Cup replay against Aston Villa, Pochettino clarified his remarks, criticizing reports that distorted his intentions, particularly regarding the players’ quality.
Together. pic.twitter.com/Nd5aMZ3Tcn
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 6, 2024
He emphasized that his comments were specific to the performance in the game and not a general assessment of the players’ abilities. Pochettino expressed frustration at the misrepresentation of his words, especially when taken out of context.
However, Pochettino contested that Chilwell intended to question his team-mates’ will to win.
“He said, ‘we didn’t win the 50-50 duels’. That was my interpretation. The result we suffered against Wolves, we are Chelsea and everything is bigger than normal.
I was talking with him and it was never his intention to say we didn’t show desire.”
Pochettino added that Thiago Silva had met with him privately to discuss a post sent by the defender’s wife on social media on Sunday that appeared to call for the manager to be sacked.
“He came today to talk with me. I’m not going to talk about (what we said). He came and wanted to talk with me.
“That was private. That’s it.”
Regarding Thiago Silva, Pochettino mentioned that the defender approached him privately to address a social media post from Silva’s wife that seemingly called for Pochettino’s dismissal. However, Pochettino declined to disclose details of their conversation, stating it was a private matter.
Mauricio Pochettino Denies Allegations of Disparaging Chelsea Players’ Quality
