The manager of the Premier League team, Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino, stated on Friday that Chelsea’s young players occasionally require a dollop of tough love to help them learn and grow.
Chelsea’s form had been improving after defeating Tottenham Hotspur and fighting to a draw with Manchester City, but they were soundly defeated 4-1 at Newcastle United last week, which put an end to their upward trend.
After the loss, which dropped them to 10th place with 16 points, Pochettino blasted his team, calling it their worst outing of the year.
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Asked about his words, Pochettino told reporters: “It’s important the players feel the coaches in a natural way when we’re angry and when we’re happy we’re happy.
“We were tough in our analysis but tough is to show the thing we didn’t do. But it’s not to blame them. We are a young team, sometimes we need to be tough on them to learn, and sometimes we need to be nice.
“It’s not about afterwreallyreal well because we talked in a certain way, it’s about getting what we want. If we are helping, that is the most important thing.”
Brighton & Hove Albion, who are ranked ninth and guaranteed a berth in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, will play Chelsea on Sunday.
Pochettino heaped praise on counterpart Roberto de Zerbi, saying: “They are doing a fantastic job.
“A very good team, a very good coaching staff. I know Roberto very well and he’s doing a fantastic job.”
The Argentine manager also stated that midfielder Romeo Lavia would not be eligible for selection, but he would make a last-minute decision on striker Christopher Nkunku’s fitness for Sunday’s match.
Lavia has been out of action with an ankle ailment, while Nkunku, who signed from RB Leipzig in July, has been sidelined since the preseason with a knee injury.
“I don’t believe we can recover any (injured) player but still there’s one day more and we’ll see what’s going on tomorrow and if we can have some players available,” Pochettino said.
“Nkunku, Lavia? We need to assess tomorrow and then decide. They are close but we need tomorrow to make a decision. Maybe Lavia is the more difficult but we need to assess.”