Maurice Pochettino believes Chelsea needs a winning mentality, he says, "We need to be ambitious."

Widad October 28, 2023 0

 

Photo" Maurice Pochetino . Credit: Getty Images

Chelsea needs to be "ambitious, and not put limits [on ourselves]," according to manager Mauricio Pochettino, Eurosports said.

The Chelsea manager stated that he is hoping to win trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge and that he would be unhappy if that were not to occur in an exclusive interview with Glenn Hoddle of TNT Sports.

For me, I’m really honest. I want to win,” Pochettino said. “We have the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup. It’s about going and lifting the trophy. If not, I’m going to feel disappointed. “We need to be ambitious, and not put limits [on ourselves]. Even if people can say it’s difficult for Chelsea to achieve what the club deserves or the history says. From my point of view, it’s about creating a winning mentality with this group, not the club. “The club has this amazing mentality that is about winning. We have a group of players of whom we need to win together; today. It’s not okay because we have this badge [to expect that we are going to win].

“It’s about the everyday standards, and having them high to create the mentality to match the club and the fans. If you ask me, I wanted to win yesterday, not today. That is going to push us to be better every day and why not, to finish [strongly] at the end of the season.”

Just two spots above where they ended last season under temporary head coach Frank Lampard, Pochettino's Blues are currently positioned in the Premier League standings as they prepare to take on Brentford live on TNT Sports on Saturday.

However, in the Premier League, which has significantly changed and become much more competitive, something feels off under the Argentine.

Pochettino remembers his tenures as manager of Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, saying, "The Premier League was always tough."

"The ideas and philosophies that we see in the Premier League now are more similar than they were in the past," he stated. It was a different kind of football in years past. The Premier League is the most strong league in the world, and you can attract extremely talented players from Europe and the rest of the globe.

Today, the issue is [overcoming] the heightened level of quality. Technically, teams near the bottom of the table can draw talented players, which makes things extremely challenging. It is the greatest league in the world because of this.

Even though the season hasn't started off as smoothly as Pochettino may have hoped, in recent weeks he has begun to see some indications of a cohesive team, with three wins and a draw in their last four games—including a convincing 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge against title contender Arsenal and a 4-1 rout at Burnley.

Although Pochettino feels that the team's recent performances and achievements are cause for optimism, he is demanding time in order for his project to reach its full potential.

“No one is magic. We don’t have the magic touch,” he said. “It’s about time and work. Because of the circumstances, sometimes they aren’t the best… injuries, for example, or players arriving at the last moment with no pre-season. That’s why we need time, but we have clear ideas how we deal with all these situations, but we have a plan, project and vision.

“We need time to work, and of course, with time, we can be close in the way we want to work and play, and show the characteristics of the team. I am happy in the last moments, as the players are starting to recognise what we expect from them. When a positive result arrives, you can start to go faster in the evolution. When the results are not there, it creates some doubts.”

The enormous infusion of youthful talent at Stamford Bridge, on long contracts and for significant transfer fees, has been a topic of intense discussion within the Chelsea project. However, the more experienced leaders in the locker room are also contributing.