As featured on NewsNow: Football news

Chelsea boss Pochettino: Lack of maturity cost Sheffield Utd win

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted to his disappointment after his team drew with Sheffield United.

Coming off a big win against Manchester United in midweek, the Blues had to settle for a point against the bottom club in the league.

Post-game, Pochettino was asked if his team could find a way to avoid conceding late goals.

He stated: "We have been talking a lot. It can be in too many aspects. It is a new team with profiles in the squad that we are learning the combinations sometimes, that is why the process to build a team always takes time. It's not a magic thing.

"When we talk about projects, we are talking about three or five years. Now, even if we are taking good results in the Premier League, or we are in the semi-final of the FA Cup, because we were not in a good position from the beginning. That is affecting to be calm and to perform in a different way.

"It is a normal process that has happened. We need to accept, working and trying to fix this type of problem. Always when the end of the season arrives, we need to analyse the squad and what we are missing and try to add people with the capacity to provide what we are seeing today, to improve in the next seasons."

Then asked if his players were fatigued, he added: "Of course they were tired, of course, but that is not an excuse today to not win the game. We need to identify two different things. One thing, they can be tired, of course, but that is why we have an unbelievable training centre to provide everything – food, vitamins, recovery, swimming pool, physiotherapy, everything.

"Then it is about to be competitive. Maybe I repeat too much but watching football like us, 52-years-old, you identify very quick whether the team is ready to compete or not. Today, that happened because maybe this group is still not mature enough to compete in every game every three days.

"Maybe these types of games are tougher because in your preparation, maybe because like you say Sheffield is in the relegation zone. We need to think a little bit. I'm not saying we're not being respectful, but we need to think a little bit more. As a coach, I need to think. If I'm a player, I need to think.

"I repeat again: I am not upset. This is a project we understand we are living now. It takes time always to build a strong team with a strong quality, strong mentality, the right profile to compete in different opponent demands, different aspects in the game."

Video of the day:

About the author

Ansser Sadiq

×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

  1. Go Ad-Free
  2. Faster site experience
  3. Support great writing
  4. Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free
×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free