"A fighter" "A player you can use in different positions" - Mauricio Pochettino lauds 2 Chelsea stars after 2-0 Fulham win
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has heaped praise on Enzo Fernandez and Ian Maatsen following the club's win over Fulham on Sunday.
The Blues lifted the Premier League Summer Series trophy after beating their English rivals in their final fixture of the pre-season tournament. Goals from Thiago Silva and Christopher Nkunku secured the title for the West London outfit.
Pochettino spoke highly of his Argentine compatriot and World Cup winner Fernandez after the match.
Mauricio Pochettino on Enzo Fernandez:
"Always it is a pleasure. He is a fighter also, a world champion with Argentina, I am so proud."
[via @scott_trotter]
The Chelsea manager said (as quoted by Metro):
"Always it is a pleasure [to have Fernandez]. He is very humble, he is a fighter also and is a fantastic player, world champion with Argentina and I am so proud. I am Argentine also and I shared happiness when they won the World Cup. It is a pleasure when you have a player like him in the squad."
The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager also lauded Maatsen for his versatility. The Dutch footballer has been deployed in multiple positions on the pitch over the course of his career.
Pochettino added:
"He has the capacity to compete for different places on the pitch. He is a player you can use in different positions. I am so happy because his performance didn’t change. That is what makes us really pleased because he is a player we see with enormous potential for the team."
Chelsea secured Fernandez's services from Benfica in the January transfer window for a British record transfer fee of £106.8 million. Meanwhile, Maatsen earned his first-team promotion this summer through the grassroots.
"Always it is good to win" - Mauricio Pochettino on lifting his first trophy as Chelsea manager
Chelsea are the 2023 #PLSummerSeries champions. 🍾 pic.twitter.com/0GZES88BDc
Pochettino also spoke about what it was like to lift his first trophy as Chelsea manager.
The Argentine boss managed Tottenham Hotspur for five years, from 2014 to 2019. He failed to secure a single title during his time at the English outfit, despite coming quite close on some occasions.
Pochettino led the Lilywhites to the UEFA Champions League final during the 2018/19 season, when they were defeated by Liverpool.
The Argentine manager was asked how it felt to lift a trophy with Chelsea after his time at Tottenham.
Pochettino replied:
"Always it is good to win, I am so pleased again with the performance and the work of the players from the start. It is a busy time but I think we are doing a good job, the players and the staff."
He continued:
"It has been a busy four games in a very short period of time and now we play in Chicago against [Borussia] Dortmund and we need to continue. We keep going and prepare the team to arrive in the best condition for the Premier League."