Mauricio Pochettino admits he needs to be more ‘cautious’ about his Chelsea side’s performance after branding his young side ‘not mature enough’ in Sheffield United stalemate.
- Argentina coach questions players’ lack of competitiveness after draw
- Pochettino prepares to face another relegation-threatened team in Everton
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Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has vowed to hold back his post-match remarks after lambasting his players following their 2-2 draw at Sheffield United last weekend.
Pochettino questioned his side’s maturity and competitive spirit after the relegation-threatened Blades forced an equalizer deep into added time.
“As a 52-year-old you identify very quickly when a team is ready to compete or not,” the Argentine told Bramall Lane.
“Maybe because this group is not yet mature enough to play every match, every three days. For different reasons, we find it difficult to participate in these types of matches (against inferior teams).
But during Friday’s press conference ahead of Monday night’s home game against Everton – another team on the wrong side of the table – Pochettino explained that he now believes it could work against his team if he vents his frustrations .
Mauricio Pochettino admitted he had to be ‘more careful’ in his choice of words
Chelsea squandered their slim lead against Sheffield United and were held to a 2-2 away draw.
Oli McBurnie equalized three minutes into extra time to send Chelsea home with a point.
“I have to be more careful in my words after the match,” he said. “It’s a fact that we have a young team but I also think I have to adapt to a different message.
“The message is to try to improve this week. I think we’ve worked really hard to try to improve in all areas. We talked a lot but I think we need to be more positive.
“Of course we have to accept that (the youth of the team) is a reality, but sometimes (I have to) keep my feelings and be more positive, because we have a very good team.
“We have to support them and work very hard to help them perform better in the next match. I am happy with the way they trained this week.
Noni Madueke (left) gave her team the lead with a shot in the 66th minute.
The Blues will look to bounce back from Monday’s disappointment against Everton at home
And he acknowledged that the moment immediately after a match might not be the best time to analyze a performance.
“We are winners and we want to win,” he said. “We came here accepting the pressure, but also knowing that Chelsea’s story is about winning. Sometimes after 90 minutes, when you don’t win or you draw like against Sheffield, you feel really disappointed and very frustrated and then you have to confront yourself (the media) and stay calm.
“But I think there is still a lot to play for and we have to be positive and think positively.” I want to stop talking about negative things. We have to be positive and create a good atmosphere.
Ben Chilwell is back in training ahead of the Everton game but Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling are doubtful.
