Percy Onyeka
Mauricio Pochettino, the under-fire Blues manager, demanded perspective on Chelsea’s poor play and insisted he would not go bald as a result of the team’s poor performance.
Following back-to-back crushing losses, Pochettino’s team will be reeling heading into their FA Cup fourth-round replay against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Chelsea was humiliated 4-2 at home by Wolves on Sunday after losing 4-1 away to Liverpool.
Pochettino was jeered by angry Chelsea fans during the Wolves capitulation, leading to fresh speculation that the Argentine could be in danger of the sack.
The former Tottenham boss has been unable to make positive impact on Chelsea despite major investment in new signings since taking charge in the close-season.
With Chelsea languishing in 11th place in the Premier League, an FA Cup exit at Villa would only add to the pressure.
But Pochettino insisted he would retain a sense of enjoyment in the job even in trying times.
“Football is my passion, not my job,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Sometimes we say ‘job’ but it’s the wrong word. Football is entertainment.
“Being coach, I need to keep a sense of why I am here. We cannot suffer because of business and other things. We need to be focused to play football.
“To be focused in football, you need to feel free in your mind. You cannot be affected because the stock in New York or Tokyo, or the weather or because the farm doesn’t grow.
“That’s why I keep my hair like this, because I don’t suffer from things that I am not in charge of. I only suffer for football, to try to improve the players, to provide them a good platform to win games.
“If there is no rain on my farm, you kill the business of my farm. That is a stress. You can lose your hair. But I cannot lose my hair because we’re not winning because the opponent was better than us.”
With 15 league games to go, Chelsea are just one place higher in the table than they finished last season.
That campaign featured the sackings of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, paving the way for Pochettino’s eventual arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino claims he maintains a strong relationship with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, revealing he received a “good” text from the club hierarchy recently.
In a bid to turn the tide, Pochettino this week addressed his squad with a rallying cry ahead of the key run of fixtures that includes the League Cup final against Liverpool.
“I told the players today in a meeting that I trust you more than ever. I’m going to support you more than ever,” he said.
“I’m not a normal boss. I’m the leader and I need to reflect with every single action that I really trust the players.
“If they don’t perform it is my responsibility and the players’ responsibility always because they are on the pitch.
“I trust we can turn the situation around and change the results.”
Techrectory with AFP
