“Be careful how you translate to the media or our fans” - Pochettino breaks silence on incident between Chelsea fans and Thiago Silva
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has commented on an incident that occurred following his side's 1-0 defeat away to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, January 8.
Following the final whistle, the Blues' supporters were seen venting their frustration after a very disappointing game at the Riverside Stadium.
It appeared that the traveling Chelsea fans were expressing their frustration to a couple of the Blues' players who were captured around the scene. However, Pochettino has come out to debunk such claims, stating that the angry Blues fans were rather being antagonized by the Middlesbrough supporters.
Speaking during a post-match press conference, he stated that people shouldn't get confused as to what actually happened after the game. The Blues coach also highlighted how veteran defender Thiago Silva was one of the players who made an effort to calm the traveling fans.
Pochettino said (via Football.london):
"Don't be confused because the fans were reacting to Middlesbrough fans, not with our players, our fans were fantastic with us. I think it was Thiago and some players I listened, they were trying to calm our fans because I think it was a problem between the fans. Not with our fans and players."
He concluded:
"Be careful how you translate to the media or our fans. Don't confuse the people."
Pochettino and his team will be hoping to overturn a 1-0 deficit when Middlesbrough come visiting for the second-leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino feels Chelsea were the better side in Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat
The Blues fell to Championship side Middlesbrough during their semi-final first-leg tie at Riverside Stadium, thanks to Hayden Hackney's first-half strike.
It was a game Chelsea dominated and could have even put the game to bed in the first half if they had been clinical in front of goal. Blues' forward Cole Palmer was guilty of missing his team's best chances on the night as he failed to convert any of his three first-half chances.
Speaking after the game, Pochettino, revealed that while his team were the better side on the night, they paid the price for not taking their chances. He said (via Standard):
"We were punished because of some mistakes we made in the first half. We create chances enough to score and draw in the end. If we assess the game after 90 minutes, I think we were the better side but if you don't score goals you cannot win."
The Blues will be hoping to overturn the tie in the second leg of the semi-finals in two weeks' time. The west London giants will need to secure a win by at least a two-goal advantage in order to secure their passage into the finals of the competition.