Mauricio Pochettino addressed the media following Chelsea’s third consecutive Premier League match without scoring, resulting in a defeat to Aston Villa after Ollie Watkins’ goal.
Here’s his assessment:
In the first half, I believe we deserved a bit more as we had control of the game. In the second half, we started strongly, but the game changed after the red card. It’s important to evaluate the first 60 minutes with 11 players on both sides, and then, with 10 men, it became a different match.
Regarding the red card incident, I must be honest; it happened right in front of me, but I didn’t see it, and I still haven’t seen it. I can’t definitively say it wasn’t a red card. We have to trust the referees and VAR in such situations. It’s difficult for me to make a judgment because I didn’t witness it. As for Malo Gusto’s challenge, it’s a shared responsibility between us and the referee. We cannot place blame on VAR or the referee. In such situations, we must react differently. I won’t blame or criticize Malo Gusto because these things happen in football. However, such situations can negatively impact the game.
Regarding Nicolas Jackson receiving his fifth booking, we must grow as a team, not just individually. Young players like Nico are still adapting to the Premier League, and they need time to learn and gain experience. While we are competitive and focused on winning, young players need room to make mistakes and learn. We are disappointed because there have been too many situations like this, and we must address them promptly.
As for Armando Broja and Reece James, it was good to see Broja return after a long absence. Having different options in the team is important, and he needs to regain confidence. It’s all part of the learning process for a young team like ours. While it’s challenging to find positives after a loss, we need to focus on the positive aspects and maintain our belief. Over time, the team will perform better. I can’t hide our current situation, which is disappointing for the fans, the club, the players, and us.
Regarding Chelsea’s recent performance, I haven’t spoken to the owners after the game. They are disappointed, but they arrived with excitement to build a project. They need to support the plan.
In terms of finding a solution in front of goal, our performance has been good, though not excellent. We lack clinical finishing, but we will continue working on it. We start preparing for the Wednesday game tomorrow and aim to build belief, confidence, and trust to improve our goal-scoring.
Regarding the goal conceded from our own corner and being left open, it was somewhat unlucky. We need to accept the reality. We blocked Aston Villa’s shot, and it hit the post and went in. We also had one-on-one chances with Emiliano Martinez. It’s a bit unlucky, but we need to remain calm. Despite the circumstances, the team is creating opportunities, fighting until the end, and not giving up. We will continue working and hope to change our current run of results as soon as possible.