Mauricio Pochettino looked devastated as he held his post-match press conference at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea’s head coach had just witnessed an Arsenal demolition job on his Blues side. The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to three points with the comprehensive victory over Chelsea.
Goals from Leandro Trossard and two from Kai Havertz and Ben White secured an emphatic victory for Arsenal. Understandably, Pochettino did not seem a happy man as he went about his media duties after the match. You can read the full transcript below.
What did you think of your team’s performance?
“I feel disappointed, I feel very bad. I don’t feel great. The performance wasn’t good. We didn’t start the game the way we should have started. We conceded a goal so easily, we made it easy for Arsenal. ” .
“I think after ten to fifteen minutes, after we conceded, we started to play a little bit at this point, started to create some chances. We were talking at half time, it’s not possible to play the game like this to start.” But we started badly again. “We conceded two goals at this point, I think the team gave up and we weren’t in the game.”
How do you ensure that the rest of the season doesn’t fall apart?
“It’s difficult to talk because after almost one season we talk the same way. It’s impossible to see a fantastic performance after Saturday at Wembley, who competed very well against a very good team like Manchester City and then today. “
READ MORE: Chelsea players are rated as Badiashile poor, Mudryk terrible, Pochettino terrible at Arsenal humiliating
READ MORE: Chelsea’s next five Premier League games compared to Tottenham, Man United and Newcastle
“You can lose against Arsenal, they are fighting for the Premier League, but in the way we fought. Why one day, three days ago, and then today like this? Given the circumstances, we had to make some changes for different reasons. ” but that’s the inconsistency we’ve been showing all season. Three days ago; fantastic match, great performance and we deserved to go to the final. Today we cannot use words to describe this achievement. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t good.”
How did you decide on the changes today?
“I have to explain that Chalobah did not play at the start of the season and needed rest, just like Thiago, a 39-year-old who also needs rest. After a tough match at Wembley, we had to provide the team with energy.
‘We had Alfie [Gilchrist] because Reece James and Malo Gusto were not available to play and then we used Mudryk in Palmer’s position. The circumstance of making the decisions, that’s what happened and we can’t change it.
“The hardest thing to accept is the way we started the game because we fought well in the last thirty minutes of the first half and the game was level. We started forcing them to make mistakes and created some chances.
“But then the way we started the second half, how you continue afterwards, believing that you can compete better. At this point I think the team started to suffer a lot and had difficulty controlling the match. “
Is your team too dependent on Cole Palmer as a creative outlet?
“Maybe with him, today’s team, it could be the same situation. But of course Palmer is doing well for us. He is the only player we have, a playmaker who connects all the lines in the team. If you missing a player like this is not easy to replace.
“But I think it was a great opportunity to perform in front of different players. It’s true, we didn’t fight. I can’t blame the players. We show this inconsistency, that’s why we are where we are today. “
“When we have bad days, we are so bad. When we are good, we are capable of anything. That’s something else we have to be aware of, that we have to increase for the future.”
How do you pick up the boys?
‘The same way as from here [points upwards]we’re going here [points downwards]. The group of players can move there in a few days. That is positive, because we cannot maintain focus [on the confidence] because we are able to go down and in the same way we can be here and go high in a few days. The team we manage is capable of that.”
Do you feel let down by your players?
“No. There are too many details and circumstances why this happened. That is the experience we need to ensure that the team does not have it in the future. The club is building a new project, a new way of operating and of course: That’s always a risk you have to take when you build a young team, it takes some time with all the circumstances we live in.
“The conditions don’t help you to be more competitive, to be better, to be more consistent. That’s why this type of game can happen when you play against a team like this that has been preparing for the last three or four years to win the title to win.” Premier League, to fight for the big trophies.”
Did you feel ashamed?
“I don’t think we can blame the players. I’m not going to blame the players. The circumstances are bigger than the performance of the players. We can’t blame the young guys who came here and after some circumstances , the team, you have to come here and fight against a team that is fighting for the Premier League.
“That is why you have to be careful. You cannot be unfair to our players. It is true that we are disappointed with our performance, but I am not going to use a word that is not fair to our team, our players, our squad.”
You are 30 points behind Arsenal. Is it unrealistic to ask them to make up for that next season?
“I think this is the first time that the players, the defensive line, with Alfie, that’s the first time since the start of the season that they’ve played together. That’s no excuse. I don’t want to keep talking the same way over and over again .
“Those are the conditions we live with. Listen, from the start of the season we had too many situations that didn’t help. They are a very young team with not too much experience in the Premier League.”
“It’s not just about playing football, it’s about having the experience to compete to win. That’s the moment. Yes, they are young and talented players, but they are not there just to play. From our experience we know that The last part of the season is always the most difficult moment for the players.”
You said your players “gave up”. Does that make you question their characters?
“No, it’s not about character. I’ve played football and I’ve been in similar situations with great players. I played with Maradona and Ronaldinho, but it’s true that these kinds of things can happen for part of the season.”
“Also because of the opponent, our energy, there is nothing for you in this situation and you cannot find anything positive during the match. These kinds of things happen and will certainly happen with different teams.”