Mauricio Pochettino admitted struggling Chelsea need to
“grow up” after their troubled season hit a new low with a 1-0 defeat against
Aston Villa on Sunday.
Pochettino’s side have won just once in six league games
under Pochettino after Ollie Watkins’ second-half goal sealed the points for
Villa at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are languishing in 14th place, just four points
above the relegation zone, after failing to score in their last three games.
Chelsea’s latest flop was sparked by young defender Malo Gusto’s dismissal after 58 minutes for a challenge on Lucas Digne.
After a pitchside VAR review, referee Jarred Gillett
upgraded the initial yellow card to a red for dangerous play.
Adding to Pochettino’s woes, Chelsea striker Nicolas
Jackson, who has scored just once since his move from Villarreal, picked up his
fifth booking for attempting to block a Villa free-kick, earning a one-game
ban.
Pochettino refused to criticise the officials and instead
said he and his players must take the blame for Chelsea’s woes.
“It’s our responsibility and the players’ responsibility. We
can’t blame the VAR or the referee,” Pochettino said.
“The situation, we need to act different, in a different
way. I’m not going to blame or say anything against Malo Gusto.
“Situations happen in
football and they affect the game and the team in a negative way.
“We need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual
way. A player like Nico (Jackson) that is so young, feeling the Premier League
and he’s learning, he needs time.”
Despite spending over £350 million ($428 million) on new
signings since his arrival in July, Pochettino has been unable to improve a
Chelsea side that struggled badly last term.
Chelsea’s policy under co-owner Todd Boehly has been to sign
younger players with high potential and sell-on value, but that has left
Pochettino with a largely inexperienced line-up.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham boss has also
battled with a lengthy injury list.
Chelsea’s raw team hasn’t been up to the task so far and
Pochettino is looking for a response as the pressure mounts.
“In this type of game, we’re competing and we want to win.
But players, when they are young, need to learn with experience,” he said.
“That’s why we feel disappointed because we are playing too
many situations like this. Another small detail and in the end we are losing
the game. We are in a situation we need to change as soon as possible.”
AFP
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