Mauricio Pochettino
Will Cole Palmer be involved versus Nottingham Forest?
Yes, still we decided but I think today was good in training. He was involved in training and yes maybe he is involved tomorrow but still we haven’t decided.
Turnover of ins and outs? Issues with that?
We need to accept that because we cannot now say anything different to when we signed here. When the owners and sporting directors explained the project we need to be fair and now I am in my position I am going to start to say nothing to be from our side but saying things that are not fair. They explained the project. We agreed. We keep going, working and of course trying to help to develop the project and we knew players in, players out it was going to be difficult to change the squad in the way they wanted to change. Only we offered the support and we worked really hard on the training ground to try and minimise the impact of players that arrived with no training, injured or with not competing in the last times, young players that need to know the Premier League and players from outside of England. Many, many things that I think we are working to try to minimise the negative impact.
How do you feel about so many of the academy players being allowed to leave?
You can see the decision today, it’s the effect of the past and you cannot change that. Only we want to create the new way to work. And the way we work is to try to create an environment that the players feel comfortable and want to be here and for the young guys through the academy wanting to play for us, for Chelsea and feel proud about being a football player here for Chelsea. I cannot talk about the feelings from the past, how they were treated, how the people feel, the past or what happened with the past. That was a different reality, different circumstances. How I feel now is only to hear the players, hear the people and to try to help in what they want to do and also help the club in the way they want to act, take decisions and then it’s about not to judge what happened in the past or to judge players that want to leave because of the past because too many of the players say ‘gaffer we are enjoying with you all, now we are so happy but my feeling is the club wasn’t fair in the past.’ OK. Stop. I don’t want to listen what happened in the past its to be in the present but it’s a thing that we cannot change. How I feel is I try to convince, not to convince, to explain the project for the future and after not be wrong in the way that we act. We need to explain to young players, be honest with them even if sometimes they don’t want to listen but it’s the truth, because it’s tough always the truth, but we need to be honest and then to create a different environment to work in the way we did and we need to work in the future.
Got everything you want?
Who said we have all that we wanted? I am happy. Now we need to work and be improving in the next year. But I think It’s like ‘we have everything, we are so happy, we are in Disney World because the club has spent one billion’.
We want to win every week. What is missing is to have all the players fit and for that we are going to work. We cannot sell the idea that we are in Walt Disney here.
Because all is pink. No, we need to work very hard. Not because the club is spending money. I am so happy because the project they showed me they are working very hard to operate in a different way. But we have to be careful to say we have an amazing project here, we have a very young squad with young talented players but now we need to find a way to perform because competing with big sides like we are going to is difficult.
Clubs that have been working previously and have been spending the same or money than Chelsea. What we cannot do is say things that are not right. We need to be careful. Ok we are spending but we are building for the future also. Not only for the present.
You have to win fast though, right?
Of course. I am not going to change my speech. We need to win. You tell me one billion you get all you want, OK come on. This message is different to saying ‘yes we are investing for the present and for the future’. The circumstance we have now we have in the squad are there. We need to work really hard but at the same time we need to win tomorrow.
My success will be if we win today, not tomorrow or in one year or three. I want to win today. I am not going to make excuses to you, the players, the fans. If we don’t win, I know what is going to happen.
If you want me to explain the reality, that is it. Not because we have spent big money is the team going to perform, now the players will perform. There are many example in the world where it is not only money. Money gives you the capacity to bring talent and to create the environment and the dynamic to make you close to winning.
Cole Palmer said he wants more first team football?
If someone guarantees to some player to play ok, that is not the case here. The player needs to come and to perform and let us manage. And then if he deserves to play he will, I am sure it was the same at City. But for us even when you pay big money for a player at Chelsea it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to play. That is the wrong way to think. People need to learn about that. When we sign a player we do it for them to be part of the squad, involved in the squad, be part of the club. Be part of the dynamic. We never sign players who we promise will play. It has never happened, even when we signed Messi at Paris St-Germain. I would never promise then they will play 20 or 30 games. Come on, that is very disrespectful to the player and to the environment you create here. You have to show that you are better than your team mates. That is why we have 24, 25 players. It is the wrong way to think to move somewhere because you are going to play more. If someone promises you are going to play, ok, but that is no good for anyone. Players cannot feel too comfortable. Players need to feel always under pressure to deliver the best. They need to feel that they have to show their best to play every day. It is the only way to improve. They are not stupid and they know when they are going to play but they need to keep pushing, pushing, pushing. If they go to sleep and think they will always play, then the wrong thing has happened.
What is Palmer’s best position?
He has the quality to play between the lines, No. 10, playmaker. He is a player who is different to the players we have. He can play on the side, left or right. He can play one-v-one and go inside and link with the play. Then he can also play as a No. 10 as he has the quality. He also can play No. 8 as he has accuracy with his passes.
Do you see a billion pound squad?
Yes. No. Yes. No. How can I explain?
With all the squad available, yes. Today it is true. It is difficult. Because we were training with some kids from the academy the last four or five days. I am not going to lie to you, we have 10 players maybe who are not involved in the training and we have four or five 16, 17-year-olds involved and you say, ‘Have you spent £1bn there?’ You cannot see that and it is completely different. But it is only a matter of time. When the players recover from injury you will see the good team that we have for sure.
PSG spent to win things instantly?
Win things, no! Win the Champions League! We had already won the French Cup and Ligue 1.
Should you be able to buy success with that much money?
It is about having a plan. Different clubs you can spend less but spend consistent amounts every season like happened with Manchester City and then after six or seven years they were rewarded with the Champions League. It is about the plan. Maybe they have a different plan. Maybe they want to spend now and not spend again for the next few years. Or to be rewarded then for the investment they have made today. Maybe they hope to be rewarded in the next few years – I just have to make sure I am still here.
The problem is that we invest todayPoch but maybe we will be rewarded in a few years. I need just to make sure I am still here because of the all the sacrifice and effort I am making today I still want to be here when the good things happen. Because of the talented players they have, it is only a matter of time before they start performing and when they are at their best they are going to have an amazing team.
Now it is tough. Now it is difficult. We are working hard but we are excited also. We are so happy to be involved in this project – it’s like we are starting it, even if they arrived a year ago. They started off a new era working in a different way. Not better or worse – we need not to be confused about that. We are spending money, yes, but that is not equal to getting results quickly. It is always a process. I just hope to be here.
