Mauricio Pochettino wants to establish a real relationship with Chelsea fans by guiding his young team to success instead of trying to win over with gestures made on the pitch.
Due to his affiliation with rival team Tottenham Hotspur, the 52-year-old Argentine acknowledged that Chelsea fans would naturally be sceptical, but it would take time for that trust to develop.
Prior to his dismissal in 2019, Pochettino led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final and elevated them to the status of Premier League championship contenders, as they finished in the top four for four consecutive seasons.
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In May of last year, Chelsea appointed him.
“You need to convince,” he told reporters after Thursday’s dramatic 4-3 home win against Manchester United.
“You arrive at Chelsea in a project that is different to the last 20 years.
“I played with my reputation to come here also, in a project that is to build a team with young talented players with the possibility of the potential to become top players.
“For us, we knew that was a massive challenge.
“A challenge of building a team, winning games, being competitive and to take the risk with the fans. But I’m not going to be a populist.
“I said from the beginning that I want to build a genuine relationship — not to kiss the badge or to do stupid things on the touchline to win the benefit of the fans.”
After 11 minutes of extra time, Cole Palmer, who had equalised with a penalty a few seconds earlier, scored the latest winning goal in a Premier League game.
Pochettino sprinted onto the field to greet Palmer after the final whistle against United.
With nine games remaining, Chelsea is in 10th position. On Sunday, they will host Sheffield United, who are now in last place.
“What I want is to provide to the team the tools to win games, believe in ourselves and build a very good relationship,” Pochettino added.
“I am not here to be a populist or a hypocrite and say ‘Oh I love the fans’ because I know, always it is about time to build this relationship.”
After their most recent performance, Pochettino stated that Chelsea needed to concentrate on becoming reliable.
“Three points in Sheffield. If we want to be close again, it’s about winning… If we win all the games, for sure we will be in Europe. But it is about Sheffield now,” he added.
England defender Ben Chilwell has not returned to training after missing Chelsea’s 2-2 home draw against Burnley, a 10-man team, on Saturday due to a leg injury he sustained while on international duty as illness kept him from the United match.