Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella want Mauricio Pochettino to stay
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has vocally backed under-fire manager Mauricio Pochettino, asserting that the squad remains firmly behind the Argentine tactician.
Following a gritty second-half comeback against Aston Villa, where Chelsea fought back from a 2-0 deficit to secure a 2-2 draw, Cucurella highlighted the team’s solidarity with Pochettino.
Asked whether the second-half display at Villa Park showed the players want Pochettino to stay, Cucurella said:
“Yes, for sure. He spoke very well at half-time, and all the people saw the team’s reaction.
“A lot of the games we don’t win – and that is part of the game – but I think it is more the whole problem because we have the quality and maybe we don’t show what we can do.
“When we lose 5-0, I don’t think the manager can do anything. I think it is more about us (the players), about our attitude. He has helped a lot of us, he has good communication skills, and the team supports him. We are in a good way.
“We all need to improve every week, stay at the same level, and have the same attitude every minute because we need to win. If we stay together, we can do good things.”
“We didn’t have any excuses. We played very badly against Arsenal and the attitude was not correct,” Cucurella added.
“In the first half (against Villa), we did not understand the game and suffered a little bit. But we showed we have the quality and the spirit to play and fight together, and we need to stay this way.
Despite a late VAR intervention denying Chelsea a dramatic victory, Cucurella emphasized the resilience shown by the squad, with goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher cancelling out earlier setbacks.
“We are a young team, but that is not an excuse because we showed we have the quality. We played against the team sitting fourth in the League, and we dominated the game.
“But we need to maintain this level for every minute of every game. If we stay this way, we can do a lot of good things.”
Cucurella continued: “The attitude in the second half was very good because we came into this from a difficult game and we started badly again. But the team showed personality, confidence.
“We played together, we fought together. It is the way we need to play in every game, every minute, because the quality is there.
“We need to consider that if we don’t play and fight together, it is going to be difficult because this is one of the best leagues in the world. We need to watch the game again, find the good things, and stay this way.
“We have five games left in the season, and I think we can do a lot of good things and finish in a good way. We must keep going.”
Pochettino’s future at Chelsea has been a subject of speculation, with the manager expressing openness to discussions with the club’s hierarchy.
However, uncertainties persist regarding the extent of support he enjoys from the board.
In light of such uncertainty, Cucurella’s public endorsement of Pochettino assumes significance, potentially influencing the club’s decision-making process.
With the defender’s remarks underscoring a unified stance within the squad, it remains to be seen how Chelsea’s management will respond as the season progresses.
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