Chelsea produced dominant performances against Liverpool and Luton Town but lost to West Ham United and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Follow Us
It has been eventful few months for Chelsea and their supporters. The Blues have been extremely busy in the transfer window – a theme that has become a norm in recent past. The Blues have made plenty of signings in this period, something which has also continued in this recently closed window. Chelsea signed a lot of players, while also selling a good number of players from the club in the window.
On top of it, they also got a new manager for the season in Mauricio Pochettino. Under Pochettino, Chelsea have made an interesting start to the campaign. They produced dominant performances against Liverpool and Luton Town but lost to West Ham United and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The 1-0 defeat to Forest was their last game before the international break. Hence, they will be keen to bounce back against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Ahead of the match, Pochettino spoke about what he made about Chelsea’s performances so far. “The team performance was good in the first months. I think we didn’t get the points that we deserved. The organisation is good in the way that we want to play but we haven’t had too much time to work together, that is the reality, because we have players that arrived in the last moment. The players believe in the way that we want to play and if you look at the data we are very good in possession, we are very good in construction, in building from the back. In all these aspects. All we are missing is to score goals, one of the most important things in football. But I think playing in this way we are going to arrive because we have quality players. We want to keep going in this way,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website.
It is important for Chelsea to not only score goals in the final third but also be equally effective while defending. “We want to be more competitive. We cannot concede this type of goal that we conceded against Nottingham. At some point we cannot be so weak in this type of situation. We need to be stronger because we have players with experience and players who can do better. That is the thing we need to improve, be more competitive and not only play well,” he elaborated.
He added: “We are showing everyone that we can compete, we can dominate games, we can dominate teams like Liverpool. But then we need to be more competitive. I say competitive because I don’t want to use another word, but I will. We need to be more naughty, we need to be more aggressive in this type of situation. When we defend we cannot let teams like Nottingham create only one chance in open play and concede this type of goal.”
The Chelsea manager also stated that he wants the team to be aggressive in a good way and not be ‘violent.’ “But I mean to be naughty or aggressive in a good way, not to be violent. It’s not that we are too nice, we just need to compete better. We need to increase our level, not of our quality, but how we compete and knowing that every single moment of the game requires something to do,” he explained.
“It is because we are still in the process of building the team and still we need to find that balance, but for sure it’s only a matter of time. It’s another part of football, not only to play well or have good organisation. In some moments of the game you need to show more of this quality, whether it’s mental strength or to have the experience to manage better some circumstances in the game. Sometimes it’s not only about the talent that you have.”
More Football Stories:
David Raya to Arsenal: Why did the Spaniard choose to join the Gunners on loan?
Andre Onana to Manchester United: What is the new goalkeeper’s jersey number for 2023-24 season?
Premier League: Which players have scored the most goals in a single season?
EPL stats: Which clubs have conceded the most last-minute winners in Premier League?
EPL stats: Which clubs have scored the most number of last-minute winners in Premier League?
How long will Kevin De Bruyne be out injured? Pep Guardiola responds
