Mauricio Pochettino met with Chelsea’s co-owners after a brutal League Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. The Argentine manager has been under pressure since the final, with suggestions Todd Boehly and Co. could sack him.
On the rumours, Pochettino said: “Yes. We were talking. I said ‘hello’ when I saw them [the owners] in the stadium. After, during the night, I met Behdad Eghbali. We were talking. We were sharing our opinions of the game and the opportunity we missed.
“Yes [I feel the support of the owners]. After the game, Todd sent a very nice message.”
When asked whether Pochettino will get time to build a project at Chelsea, he replied: “It’s not in my hands.
“We have a very good relationship with the owners and sporting directors. It’s up to them to trust or not. It’s not the coach’s decision.
“Always the pressure is to win, to go through in the competition. That is the most important thing. To arrive in the first final of the season, it’s massive. After you lose the title, it’s tough. But we played very good games to arrive there.”
One of the criticisms Pochettino faced in the fallout of Sunday’s final was his side’s passive approach in extra time. Pochettino hit back at the critics claiming his team were trying to win the match.
He added: “We never set the team up to go for penalties. Come on. We tried to win in 90 minutes or extra time. Before extra-time and at half-time in extra-time, we said, ‘Come on, we need to go and win.’ That’s why we sent offensive players on to try and win the game.
“I back my players. I will always be with my players. We have to accept the criticism sometimes. When we decide to come, we need to accept that it’s Chelsea and accept you are playing for a team whose history is to win.”
However, things appear to be getting worse for Pochettino, as the Chelsea manager revealed Christopher Nkunku has picked up another injury. The Frenchman, who only arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer, has spent a chunk of the season on the sidelines already, with Pochettino only able to give a vague timeframe for how long he’ll be out for.
“It’s difficult for him. He was flying [in pre-season] before he got the knee injury. We need to see and evaluate,” he explained. “At the moment, three to four weeks out. I hope. I hope no more.”
Chelsea will be looking to bounce back immediately tomorrow evening when they take on Leeds United in the FA Cup fifth round. The Blues know a win against the Championship side will leave them just two victories off another cup final, and therefore a chance to right the wrongs from Sunday’s League Cup defeat against Liverpool.