Mauricio Pochettino talks Chelsea's January transfer strategy and plans to restore success to club – Sky Sports
Football
In an exclusive sit down with Sky Sports, Mauricio Pochettino details his plans for Chelsea’s future success and talks January transfer plans; watch Wolves vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports Football on Christmas Eve from 12pm; kick-off 1pm
By Laura Hunter
Sunday 24 December 2023 12:35, UK
There are plenty of things that endear you in a face-to-face meeting with Mauricio Pochettino. The warm welcome, the calm but playful demeanour, the passion and spirit.
The fact he can wistfully joke around with his cap turned backwards, like a smiley schoolboy, before snapping into serious interview mode.
But what’s most fascinating, to this journalist at least, is how driven and committed he is to the Chelsea project, however difficult the mandate. That’s to be expected, you might say, because he’s the manager, but not all leaders steer their ships with the same level of unwavering belief as Pochettino does.
This is a venture that clearly means a lot to the 51-year-old. He speaks like a manager who has been part of the fabric for far longer than the six months, or 173 days, he’s actually been in west London.
In many ways, Pochettino and Chelsea are the perfect fit. A manager with a proven track record in the Premier League, one who is known for favouring and nurturing young talent, and who can cope with the demands of a club with expectation and status. Arriving directly from PSG – one of the most difficult jobs in club football – teaches you that much.
Chelsea have youngest average age starting XI (24y, 356d) in the Premier League despite 39-year-old Thiago Silva starting 16 games.
But progress has been a little slower than some would have expected, not least Pochettino himself. Rather than stagnant, the Argentinian describes Chelsea’s development as “delayed”, but has an absolute belief that the pathway being trodden is the right one for future success.
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“We wanted today to be in a different position on the table, of course, I cannot say false,” Pochettino began in an exclusive chat with Sky Sports, sitting forward in his chair to emphasise sincerity, his cap returned to its regulation setting.
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“I have to be really honest and say I am upset – not frustrated because we knew this was going to be tough, but the circumstances have not been kind.
“Injuries make us to be a little bit delayed, and not progress in the way we wanted to, that is why we are late in our way to achieve things. I have no doubt we are going to be late, but we are going to perform and win games, and be in the position we deserve to be.”
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The Chelsea blueprint, perhaps a little muddled and confusing to those outside the club, is understood with complete clarity to those inside it, Pochettino assures in the next sentence.
And the size of the task does not daunt him, rather, it excites, given the immense amount of talent within the playing squad. “Of course, the objective is to take all the points we play,” Pochettino continues.
“Maybe for people outside, they create some doubt, but not for us. This was my expectation all along.
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“I want to win. We need to keep winning and taking points. Yes, we want to be higher in the table but we cannot achieve this if we don’t earn it. We have to deserve.
“We have to be more competitive – we showed a great way to compete against Sheffield Utd and now we need to keep moving in the same direction.”
Pochettino’s side have created the second-most ‘Big Chances’ in the league this season (55) – but also most missed (35).
The date of this particular sit down, at Chelsea’s Cobham training base in a small side room adjacent to the immaculately lawned training pitches, happened to coincide with one of Pochettino’s more fruitful weeks in charge.
As acknowledged, winning streaks are yet to feature as part of the former Tottenham manager’s reign, but two such occurrences in the space of three short days have provided welcome reprieve. Could this be Pochettino’s turning point?
Three points against Sheffield Utd last weekend was followed up by a thrilling penalty shootout triumph over Newcastle on Tuesday, and thus the mood has shifted, if temporarily.
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in pursuit of silverware is certainly one way to garner support for the long-term cause. Tension, drama, excitement all packaged with a positive outcome. An unburdening?
“The most important in football is to believe to the end. We kept believing,” Pochettino told reporters post-match. That bit hasn’t changed.
“We know penalties are a lottery, but of course talent and quality matter. Our objective before the game was to go through and now we’re in the semi-final.
“When you see the whole squad, players that weren’t involved or were injured, they wanted to share their happiness in the middle of the pitch. We’re going to build a very good team that can compete.”
Pochettino also gave a long-awaited debut from the bench to summer-signing Christopher Nkunku after injury, in place of the willing but largely ineffective Nicolas Jackson.
The manager reiterated the need not to lump too much expectation too soon on the 26-year-old’s shoulders, but admits he has high hopes for Nkunku, who despatched an emphatic penalty as Chelsea booked their place in Carabao Cup final four.
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“We need to be fair. We can’t get too excited because we cannot put too much pressure on him. He needs to find himself.
“He came from Germany, he’s a player that’s been out for five months, so he needs to find himself in this league. That is why I don’t want to put pressure on him – if we want him to help the team we cannot expect the first touch is going to be a goal. We hope, but I stress patience.”
As it happened, Nkunku enjoyed 12 touches of the ball on Tuesday night – his final one to hammer a spot-kick past Martin Dubravka – and looked full of vibrancy. His introduction lifted the crowd too.
Perhaps Chelsea don’t need to pursue new signings in the January window after all. But what does the manager think?
“The Sporting Director and us, we are always talking and assessing – if we need to do something, we’ll be ready. The pressure is always to bring young talent, and we have different types of targets – with experience, without experience, some younger than others and that’s what it takes to provide the team with what it needs.
“We need to be open to describing the situation. Always communication is really good with the owners, we’re sharing everything. It’s about sharing ideas; we need each other to express our vision in a way that’s a positive statement for the club.
“If we need to add, we do it together, in a way that takes the best decision for the club.”
Since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought Chelsea in May 2022, they have spent over £1bn in three transfer windows.
A coy answer. But it’s clear Pochettino wants to build a successful squad in his mould – they are among the most creative sides in the league this term.
Tuesday night’s Newcastle conquest certainly felt like a uniting moment. Of course, nothing has been won, far from it, but plenty has been gained. Trust? Confidence? Conviction? Perhaps all three.
Pochettino’s plan is coming together, slowly but surely, and now it’s the Argentine’s job to turn the big fist pumps, shouts of “Vamos!” and offer of adulation from the Stamford Bridge crowd into something more tangible.
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