Mykhailo Mudryk progress is proof our methods can win the title, says Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino believes his work with players like Mykhailo Mudryk will help Chelsea win the Premier League title in the future.
The Argentine has pointed to data and the development of at least 10 players, who have needed time to develop, to insist he is doing a good job.
This is despite anger festering among the fanbase over the club’s current plight, which sees them sit 11th in the Premier League after finishing 12th last season.
Any slip-up at home to Burnley on Saturday will likely see Pochettino, the owners, and some players face yet another acrimonious atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
But Pochettino insists that his work behind the scenes is setting Chelsea up for a brighter future – whether he is part of it or not.
“I noticed that he is more mature,” Pochettino said of Mudryk. “I have noticed that he is a good example of a player who needs time to improve to be more mature and realise where he is.”
He added: “They all need time and different lengths of time. I was talking about a month and a half ago, and too many things happened during the first days that he started to train with us. We have experience of managing these types of young kids. We have too many in this squad that need help. They need to perform for us.
“We know sometimes it is hard for them, but we need to sometimes force them to not feel so comfortable in their situation, to take them out of their comfort zone. For us, it is about helping. When we came here we knew the challenge would be to help. Not just one or two, maybe ten need help. That is why we are always calm and relaxed about the project and we know it is a new one.
I can tell the fans that we will pay attention, try to be better and give our best to change this view
“If we were any different we might not be here today. We understood very well what it means to change the direction of the club in the last years. Now it is completely different. We want the best for the club, for the owners, the players and for our fans. The fans should not be confused about this. We behave like this because we care.
“Maybe they feel wrong or right, but we know what we are doing. We want to win the Premier League and one day we will. If not, another coaching staff will win it because this process needs to happen and in the best way. If not, it will be impossible for the young players to grow.”
“Today’s data puts us in the table in the top four,” he continued. “But for different reasons we are not. You can shoot 20 times and if you don’t score, like against Leicester, the opponents get one shot on target and score two goals. That is football.
“The data means that we are doing well. In which areas do we need to improve? Only in time can we compete better. Small details and only things you can get with experience and time training together.
“It is easy to find data and numbers to kill someone. But, when the data is good and for different reasons reflects we are not getting the results we deserve, we must trust in the process. That is how we know we are doing well.
“That is why I don’t take [the criticism] personally. But we will be strong and all want to be successful here. I can tell the fans that we will try to pay attention and try to be better and give our best to change this view and the vision that now is in this way. We all care about that.”
