In a surprising turn, Chelsea managed to hand Tottenham Hotspur their first Premier League loss of the season, and manager Mauricio Pochettino believes his team deserved the win. The match ended with a 4-1 victory for Chelsea, despite a chaotic game where they initially fell behind and then made a dramatic comeback after two red cards for the home side.
Addressing the press before an upcoming game against Manchester City, Pochettino stated, “This type of game is about tactics, form, the approach of the game, and also controlling emotions. We played 10 to 12 minutes not in a good way when we conceded the goal, and it was a big hit for us. Then we started to control the game and force them to make a mistake.”
Despite the controversies surrounding the use of VAR in the game, Pochettino believes that the decisions from VAR were fair and that Tottenham was lucky in a few instances. He expressed, “We played 120 minutes and I think we deserved to win. Crazy but fair.”
Prior to their win against Spurs, Chelsea had been struggling to score goals, with just 13 in their first 10 games. However, Nicolas Jackson scored a hat-trick on Monday, significantly improving their goal-scoring record. Pochettino emphasized that Jackson is still young and needs to improve, despite his exceptional performance in the game against Spurs.
Winger Raheem Sterling was once again left out of the England squad by Gareth Southgate, and Pochettino believes that hard work with the club is the only way to improve his chances. He stated, “The only way to change the situation is to work hard with your club. It’s in your hands to perform, but not after.”
Looking ahead, Chelsea is set to face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, and Pochettino expressed admiration for Pep Guardiola’s side, calling them the best team with the best coaching staff, manager, and organization. Chelsea currently sits at 10th place in the table with 15 points, 12 points behind City.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)
