Pochettino urges Chelsea fans to embrace new era
After Chelsea’s convincing 3-1 FA Cup win over Aston Villa, Mauricio Pochettino didn’t just celebrate the victory; he delivered a poignant message to the club’s faithful.
Urging fans to turn the page on the glories of yesteryears under Abramovich’s reign, Pochettino emphasized embracing the present and the promising future ahead.
At his post-match press conference, the Argentine was his vision for the club instead:
‘We need to stop thinking that we are the Chelsea from the last 20 years, because we are not anymore this type of Chelsea that people believe that.
‘Now we need to move on. And all together we need to create this project, we need to provide this team – which is the youngest team in the Premier League – with the possibility to perform, to find the balance, to be consistent.
‘Not only play well today and then tomorrow only OK, because we are young, we made a mistake, or we believed that we are already there in the level that everyone supposes. That makes me sad because people need to realise that it is not that anymore. Move on. We need to move on. Move on.
‘I don’t care if the people are happy or not happy with my speech, it’s only that I care for the club, I care for my players, I want to help the players. We are a coaching staff that care a lot about the players and we want the best for the players and the club.
‘And we are going to fight. I don’t care what the people are going to say or what the people are going to make noise to try to tackle [what we are building].
‘And I’m not talking because today it’s easy because we won the game and it’s easy to talk. No, I was talking the same way yesterday. I’m not more sad or happy today after the win than compared to after Wolverhampton because we really know because we have the experience that this type of project needs time and trust.
‘We cannot build a team capable to challenge teams like the others that are fighting for big things in a few months, because you need to fix too many things. You need observe, analyse, compete.
‘See how to compete with this team, with this formation, another formation with this player, another player, different names.
‘And people sometimes say, “No Chelsea need to do this because they invest”. No, no, no. We are building a project that is maybe going to be one year, two years, three years, but in the moment the start of the project is to work and of course after it’s going to be different.’
Acknowledging the chants of the old guard during the match, Pochettino praised the support while subtly nudging towards a new era.
Conor Gallagher’s early goal set the tone, followed by contributions from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez, showcasing the potential of the young squad.
Despite late pressure from Villa, Chelsea stood firm, securing passage to the next round where they’ll face Leeds United. Pochettino’s words resonated beyond the pitch, signaling a call for unity and belief in the evolving Chelsea ethos.
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