Mauricio Pochettino reveals risk taking in accepting Chelsea job due to Tottenham past
Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea’s incredible win over Manchester United has helped repair his difficult relationship with Blues supporters, admitting he “took a risk with the fans” to manage the club after five years as boss of bitter rivals Tottenham.
Cole Palmer’s goals in the final 80 seconds — coming in the 10th and 11th minutes of added time — were the final twists in an amazing see-saw game that brought a 4-3 victory and sparked wild celebrations here.
The Argentine says he does not want to be a “badge kisser” or “a populist”, but his passion for the job was clear to see. After dancing around the pitch with his players and coaching staff, Pochettino said he believed Chelsea needed their late turnaround to keep fans behind him and his Blues project.
“The fans are so important in football,” Pochettino said. “I am so happy, not only for the three points or because our performance was better than Manchester United, but because this was my first time here at Stamford Bridge that I started to feel a connection with the fans.
“That will be really helpful for us until the end of the season. That, for me, should be what’s really important.”
Conor Gallagher and a Palmer penalty gave Chelsea a two-goal lead early on, but United struck back with two goals from Alejandro Garnacho and a Bruno Fernandes header.
Chelsea were staring defeat in the face until Palmer equalised from the penalty spot in the 99th minute and then fired home unmarked from the edge of the box with 100 minutes and 39 seconds on the clock for the latest winner in Premier League history.
After the game, Pochettino reflected on the risk of taking the manager’s job in west London, given his deep connection to Spurs.
“I came from a different club, but it’s normal that you need to convince,” he said. “I arrived [here] in a project that is different to the last 20 years. I played with my reputation to come here also, in a project that is to build a team with young, talented players with the potential to become top players.
“We knew that was a massive challenge — a challenge of building a team, of winning games, being competitive and to take the risk with thefans. But I’m not going to be a populist. I said from the beginning that I wanted to build a genuine relationship, not kiss the badge or do stupid things on the touchline to please the fans.
If I play against Cole, I’m telling my players to be tough and not to give time on the ball
“What I want is to give the team the tools to win games, believe in ourselves and build a very good relationship.”
Palmer’s hat-trick took him to 16 league goals, on top of his eight assists, in his 25 matches for Chelsea. The £42.5million signing from Manchester City is now the joint-second highest scorer in the top-flight, and Pochettino believes defences will begin to target him.
He said: “It surprised me that no one got a yellow card for Manchester United. But it’s not to ask for protection. We need to support the referees and trust them. It’s normal. If I play against Cole, I’m going to tell my defensive line to be tough and not to give him the possibility to get the ball. That is normal.”
Chelsea are now strong contenders to qualify for the Europa League, having risen to 10th in the table, two points behind West Ham in seventh, and with games in hand over their rivals.
Pochettino wants his team to show a similar mentality at Sheffield United on Sunday with nine league games to go.
“If we want to be close again, it’s about winning,” he said. “To be consistent is most important. If we win all the games, for sure we will be in Europe, but it is about Sheffield now. We need to match their energy, desire and hunger, and it is going to be a good opportunity if we are [to keep] improving.”
