Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is optimistic that his team can get through this difficult phase amid a poor start to the 2023-24 season
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is confident in his team’s capability to bounce back from a series of disappointing outcomes at the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
The Blues faced their third defeat in the season when they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa last weekend, marking their second consecutive home defeat this season following a similar 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest earlier this month at Stamford Bridge.
Similar to many of their previous matches this season, the West Londoners began the game against Villa with a strong performance but were unable to capitalise on their opportunities in the first half.
The situation took a turn for the worse in the second half when Malo Gusto received a straight red card due to a controversial tackle. This left Chelsea, who were already struggling to score, with the challenging task of trying to secure a win with only ten players on the field.
Villa took advantage of the situation with Ollie Watkins securing a well-deserved victory, much to the disappointment of Chelsea fans who have witnessed their team win just one of their first six games.
The English giants have encountered a series of challenges, leading to rumours that Pochettino’s job may be in danger, especially with tougher fixtures on the horizon.
Nevertheless, the Argentine coach remains hopeful about the quality of Chelsea’s squad and believes they possess the necessary abilities to bounce back. As quoted by Football London, the 51-year-old expressed his thoughts when questioned by reporters about his side’s season start.
He said:
“It’s not worse than I thought. I think we always knew new project is always difficult. It looks like all is against us because the performance of the team deserves more points. All teams go through different periods, and I think we have the capacity to turn this.”
Chelsea are set to face Roberto De Zerbi’s in-form Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third-round clash at Stamford Bridge this Wednesday.
While the Blues emerged victorious when they met during the pre-season tour in the United States, these competitive fixtures present a different challenge altogether.
Pochettino has a lot of work to do, and his players will need to bounce back from their recent loss to Villa as they prepare to take on a strong Brighton side. In a season without European football, success in domestic cup competitions is really important.
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The club’s ongoing struggles in terms of results are likely to persist until they can improve their finishing ability in the attacking third. The upcoming Wednesday fixture presents an excellent opportunity for them to address this issue and begin finding the net more consistently.