"I was so upset" - Mauricio Pochettino says he fought back tears after Chelsea's League Cup loss before owners' intervention
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he was holding back his tears following his side's League Cup final defeat at the hands of Liverpool. The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Jurgen Klopp's side despite the Reds missing a host of star players due to injuries.
Pochettino is quite obviously under a lot of pressure, having failed to turn Chelsea's fortunes around since taking over last summer. Winning the League Cup would have eased some of the pressure but the London giants were let down due to their abysmal finishing and some heroic saves from Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher.
The Chelsea boss has opened up on how heartbreaking it felt following the League Cup final loss. Pochettino admitted that he nearly cried but the consolation from the owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali helped him fight back his tears.
Pochettino said, as quoted by The Mirror:
“I feel the support from them. I cannot lie to you. When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset. Nearly crying. When I arrived there, it was so difficult to stop myself."
"I think people are clever enough to understand. Of course we wanted to win the Carabao Cup. We want to win the FA Cup. We want to win the Premier League. Now it’s tough. It’s the reality but before the start of the season it was always the objective," he added.
The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager also insisted that he doesn't need to help Chelsea qualify for European football to keep his job. When asked if that was the criteria, Pochettino replied:
“From who? From the sporting directors and the owners? No. I don’t remember, I don’t.”
Pochettino also insisted that Chelsea have to keep belief in the project to achieve long-term success, just like how Liverpool have done.
“We are starting to build something but it’s not three points. Always we are always going to need time. That is why Chelsea is different and we have to accept that. Liverpool, I think, spent four years and Klopp didn't win a title and he was given the support by the club and to keep going, changing players, changing the way to play. Now, they are getting what they deserve because of that," the former Tottenham Hotspur manager added.
"When we decided to come here, no-one put the gun to our head and said: 'You need to sign here.’ But now it is not in my hands. We have a very good relationship with the owners, with the sporting directors. It is up to them to trust or not,” he continued.
Since Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Capital's takeover in May 2022, Chelsea have spent over £1 billion on transfers. However, the heavy backing from the owners has yet to bring the club any kind of success. They finished 12th in the Premier League last season and find themselves 11th in the table at the moment.
Former Chelsea player claims Jose Mourinho is the only one who can save the Blues now
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has claimed that Jose Mourinho is the only manager available right now who can rescue the Blues from the messy situation they are in. Things have gone from bad to worse for the London giants despite the massive investment from the owners.
With Mauricio Pochettino under severe pressure, Malouda has urged his former club to stick with the Argentine. He insisted that there are not many top managers available anyway apart from Mourinho.
The former Chelsea star told Ladbrokes Fanzone, as quoted by The Mirror:
“I am not worried about Pochettino. I am worried about Chelsea. In terms of managers, when you look at the options available apart from Mourinho, there is nobody obvious for the job that could make a big difference. I believe in stability, and I believe the club should support the manager and include him more in the process of picking players in the club strategy."
“I definitely think we need to stick with Pochettino. Instead, we need to bring people on board now who can back him up and help him develop his ideas,” Malouda added.
Mourinho is and will also remain a fan-favorite at Stamford Bridge for his achievements at the club in the past. The Portuguese manager had two glorious stints with Chelsea and won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and three League Cups.
The former Manchester United boss is currently without a job after being recently axed by AS Roma.