Coach Mauricio Pochettino appealed to Chelsea’s owners to “be patient” and give him the necessary time to return to the path of victories and revive the fortunes of the competing club in the English Premier League.
The Argentine coach is under tremendous pressure after the 1-0 defeat against Liverpool, on Sunday, in the League Cup final, while Chelsea, winners of the Champions League twice, occupies 11th place in the league standings and faces a difficult task to qualify for European competitions.
Chelsea will face second-tier Leeds United in the fifth round of the FA Cup later Wednesday.
The defeat at home to rival Leeds, who went 12 consecutive matches without defeat in all competitions, could be costly for Pochettino.
The London club was famous for being impatient with coaches in the past, but Pochettino said he was confident that club officials would not rush their decision this time.
Pochettino told reporters: “As for the team working at the club, after 8 months we have built a very good relationship. When players really believe in the way we work, it takes time to achieve something.”
He continued: “The problem is that we need time and patience to win matches. We need the patience of club officials to give us the opportunity to continue what we are doing.”
He added: “I feel their support. I cannot lie to you. I was very sad at Wembley Stadium and almost cried. But I saw Behdad Eghbali and Todd Bouley (the duo that owns Chelsea) and shook their hands.”
Support from Club
For his part, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp warned against exaggerating criticism of Chelsea, and showed his support for the team and its coach Pochettino.
Klopp said: “I am the person who knows what it means to lose 5 or 6 finals in a row. I can imagine what it was like for Chelsea. I felt their feeling.”
He continued: “They do not deserve all the blame. They played a really good football match, in a final match in which no one gave their best at all. All you have to do is beat the opponent, and that is what we did.”
