Incensed Blues fans called out in frustration for former manager Jose Mourinho during last weekend’s draw with Brentford.
This prompted current boss Mauricio Pochettino to defiantly declare he would “never” quit Chelsea, as he believes fans would not love a new manager any more than they would him.
A portion of Chelsea’s away fans rigorously booed the Argentine as they chanted for him to be sacked and even asked for him to be replaced with ex-Blues boss Jose Mourinho, when Chelsea were trailing Brentford in their match last Saturday that eventually ended up in a draw.
Under mounting pressure for a turnaround ahead of Monday’s impending home match against Newcastle, Pochettino’s Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League table in yet again another below-par campaign.
52-year-old Pchettino was insistent on reminding reporters that the Chelsea squad he inherited is totally dissimilar to the previous teams that won major silverware in the past 21 years, including the 2012 and 2021 Champions League titles.
“Today is a different project”, he said. “It’s a different Chelsea. If you are going to judge us analysing the situation comparing it with the past of Chelsea, for sure, no one is going to succeed. The fans are not going to love another coach any more [than me]. It’s a new project, and people need to understand.
When asked if he would ever consider quitting as manager, a frustrated Pochettino replied: “No, no, no. Why? Never.”
On being quizzed as to whether he thought Mourinho, who was sacked by Roma in January, could do a better job than he is doing as Chelsea manager, he replied: “I respect Jose. He’s my friend and he was amazing for this club. Circumstances are circumstances. We need to keep pushing, believing in us, and accept all the things that came from the fans. Of course, I respect the fans.
“You need to ask the players. If the players believe that with another coach they’ll do better, I am the first to say: ‘Hey, they can go and talk with the owner and the sporting director.’
“But do you see me worried about this? No. Look, is attitude a problem? No. They [the players] are clever enough; you can see in the way they behave and everything that they are behind us. There is no doubt.
“I came here because I knew that it was going to be tough but also knew we were going to need time and belief.”