Mauricio Pochettino has challenged his Chelsea gamers to “have the balls” to win recuperate possession again shortly and present extra general resilience.
The Blues have endured a massively inconsistent first season below the Argentine and once more are languishing simply above mid-table within the Premier League.
After an exhilarating comeback win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino was pissed off by his facet’s incapacity to compete with Sheffield United’s tenacity within the sort out three days later – a recreation Chelsea may solely muster a 2-2 attract after Oli McBurnie’s injury-time equaliser.
Chelsea entrance up towards Everton within the Premier League’s ultimate recreation of the weekend, and Pochettino has firmly outlined what his gamers want to enhance if they’re to achieve the extent they wish to play at week in, week out.
“We’ve sufficient expertise to win video games. However probably the most tough factor in Premier League is one other part, when you do not have the ball,” he informed reporters.
“When you do not have the ball, it’s worthwhile to have the balls. Perceive? To have the balls to recuperate the ball.
“It is a course of to turn into very aggressive, very powerful. And I feel the best way that we drew the sport towards Sheffield, we have to all really feel very disillusioned. As a result of did you see the objective? We lose one problem, we lose the second, the third and the fourth and the fifth. After which we concede in the identical motion. And that was the final minute of the sport.
“It is about having the capability to go there and to say, ‘We’re a winner, I will win this problem, I will be sturdy, I will defend, I will not concede a objective’. That isn’t greater than capability, you recognize, mentality, and all being collectively.”
Victory for Chelsea would shut the hole to eighth-place West Ham United to only a level, with Pochettino’s facet additionally having two video games in hand. They at the moment path Newcastle United, who’re sixth, and Manchester United, who’re seventh, by six factors, that means Europa League qualification stays an actual risk if a constant run of outcomes might be strung collectively.