Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino makes ‘unlucky’ claim after defeat against Aston Villa
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino feels his side were “unlucky” in the 0-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
The Blues lost 1-0 at home to Villa after going down to 10 men when Malo Gusto was sent off early in the second half. The 20-year-old defender’s exit changed the game, allowing Villa to grab a late winner on the counterattack.
Despite dominating prior to going a man down, Chelsea again failed to capitalize on chances. Their attacking struggles continued as Nicolas Jackson picked up another booking for a petulant foul, which means he will miss the October 2 clash against Fulham in the Premier League.
In the post-match conference, via Birmingham Mail, Pochettino talked about his team’s disappointing performances and the “need to change as soon as possible.” He also refused to criticize the officials for sending Gusto off, saying the players must take responsibility.
“We can’t blame the VAR or the referee. The situation, we need to act different, in a different way. I’m not going to blame or say anything against Malo Gusto. Situations happen in football and they affect the game and the team in a negative way.”
Despite the result, Pochettino took positives from Chelsea’s energetic display, especially early on. The Blues controlled the game and created chances but failed to finish them. Villa capitalized on a lone counter-attack after soaking up pressure.
“It was a little bit unlucky,how many chances did we have like Aston Villa? They shoot, we block, then they shoot and it touches the post and goes in. For us, how many one v one against Martinez (Villa keeper) ? We were a little bit unlucky but that happens”
One of the most important 1V1s came in the 24th minute, when Mykhaylo Mudryk set Nicolas Jackson through on goal. The Argentine goalkeeper, however, saved his effort.
Pochettino maintains Chelsea have been unlucky rather than simply underperforming
Pochettino believed his side were unlucky rather than simply underperforming. However, the Blues have been underperforming despite the fact the team is missing 10 first-team players due to injury.
But we can’t be unlucky for so many games in a row. There are times we have to take the blame and admit that the strategy of signing young players for the long run could be costing us in the present.
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Sure, we looked great in the PL opener against Liverpool (1-1 draw) but since then, we have hardly looked like a big six club, with the 3-0 win against Luton Town being our only convincing performance this season.
Chelsea must start converting positive play into points soon before the pressure mounts. Pochettino can only defend their “unlucky” streak for so long and that word doesn’t get the team anywhere.