Pochettino Defends Players And Asks Supporters To Believe In Field Decisions

Chelsea again received criticism from supporters despite qualifying for the FA Cup semifinals (Instagram/@chelseafc).

JAKARTA - Chelsea did win against the Championship team, Leicester City, with a score of 4-2 in the quarter-finals of the 2023/2024 FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, Sunday, March 17, 2024.

However, the Blues supporters still vented anger and ridiculed a number of players, including coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The reason is that fans are not satisfied with the team's performance which almost lost to Leicester.

Chelsea did have a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Marc Cucurela (13') and Cole Palmer (45+1').

The Blues could actually have gained the advantage had Raheem Sterling's penalty not failed.

Leicester equalized in the second half through the own goals of Axel Disasi (51') and kaly Mavidi (62').

This situation irritated the host's supporters and ridiculed Pochettino.

Fans rated the draw score as a result of a player change error. Pochettino replaces Mhykailo Mudryk. In fact, the Ukrainian player is impressed.

In fact, Sterling, who performed badly, was maintained by Pochettino until the 85th minute.

"You don't know what you're doing," the fan shouted at Pochettino.

Luckily, Chelsea were able to score two winning goals in a span of six minutes in injury time through Carney Chukwuemeka (90+2') and Noni Madueke (90+8').

Even though Chelsea won and stepped into the 2023/2024 FA Cup semifinals, supporters remained upset.

This condition made Pochettino explain at length regarding the condition of the team and his decision during the press conference session.

The Argentine manager even brought props to defend his team.

He told reporters why it attracted Mudryk first and included some young players, such as Deivid Washington, Joshua Kofi Acheampong, andten Harrison.

"We have too many injured players. We have to use young players."

"I'm not here to do what people want. I'm not stupid either. I saw Mudryk and we analyzed he was tired."

"So, we decided first (to replace) Mudryk and then Raheem. We are professionals."

"They have to believe in the club. If I was here, it was because of the club's trust," said Pochettino.

jekan kepada Sterling

Pochettino further criticized fans who ridiculed Sterling for some of his mistakes.

According to him, the 29-year-old player does not deserve criticism just for making some mistakes that can happen to all footballers.

"We need to support him. He's an amazing player. He has more than 10 years of experience in the Premier League."

"Of course I think the contribution is good. He was a little unlucky with some action that should have scored."

"However, we are a team. We have to be there for everyone."

In addition, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager asked supporters to believe in the process he was building with Chelsea.

After all, the results are slowly visible. Chelsea went to the 2023/2024 FA Cup semifinals and had a chance to win the title despite failing to compete in the top Premier League this season.

"Fans have the right to show their emotions. For us, we try to empathize with our fans not to criticize."

"They want the best for our team and players. However, we are on a project."

"We need support and to really believe. We're trying to build something."

"We are in the process of building a team. I know very well how to manage it. What fans want is to win the game and we achieve it."

"What fans want is to go to Wembley and we achieve it."

"They need to trust me to manage in a way that I think is the best way for the club."

"We need to respect their opinion as they need to respect my decision," said Pochettino.

Chelsea this season has an average age of the youngest player in the Premier League, which is 23.5 years. However, the Blues supporters do not believe the young player's investment will reap success.

This is not the only time Pochettino has been criticized for his youth player project. Previously, when he failed to enter the top of the 2023/2024 Premier League, he was often ridiculed by supporters.

Fans continue to demand purchases of mature players labeled as stars in the transfer market.