Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea future is not yet certain. (Image: Getty)
Former Chelsea hero Gus Poyet has backed Mauricio Pochettino to stay at the club next season and blamed the pressure on the manager on the ‘crazy world’ of modern day football. After an improved run of results under the Argentinian, the Blues have risen to seventh in the Premier League table, but Poyet believes the owners should keep faith regardless of whether they secure Europa League qualification or not.
“I said many weeks ago he should stay,” Poyet, speaking on behalf of Free Bets, exclusively told Express Sport. “Obviously I know the demands of a club like Chelsea that is always looking to win, but it was obvious that this new group of young players needed time to get together, especially with the quantity of injuries. So it’s been very difficult for the staff and in particular, Pochettino.
“He hasn’t been able to play his best team week in, week out, and get better. There is two ways, one is you have the main squad and you start picking your team and improve every week - or you’ve already created an identity and everyone in the squad knows when they get in they have to perform in a similar way. But that takes time.”
The Uruguayan believes the upturn in performance levels have made people ‘calm down’ over the issue of Pochettino’s future, and believes the current squad will be stronger next season. And he also lamented the lack of patience in the current game, taking aim at social media for the ‘aggressive’ manner in which players and managers are criticised.
Gus Poyet has backed Mauricio Pochettino. (Image: Getty)
“There is too much info, too much social media, too many opinions,” he added. “You can like or not like a coach, but before people were using common sense and trying to be respectful. For six or seven months now we’ve been talking about whether Pochettino is staying or going.
"It’s crazy the world we are living in. Unfortunately, and I don’t like it, we are always looking for the bad parts. And that is football now. So you need to be spot on from the first minute. You need a good Chairman. That is so important nowadays.”
Poyet himself is still revered at Stamford Bridge for his time as a player from 1997 to 2001. During that period he scored 45 times in 149 club appearances, and lifted three major trophies under manager Gianluca Vialli.
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Gus Poyet was revered as a player at Stamford Bridge. (Image: Getty)
And the 56-year-old, who left his role as Greece manager in March, still fondly recalls his stint in west London, and picked out two standout moments that he claimed only his generation of players would truly understand.
“One is about the old Wembley, it was iconic and unique,” he explained. “I was lucky enough to be there and win the last FA Cup final in that stadium. It was fantastic for me and a special moment.
“But for a player with a responsibility to score goals I had something in my head. I was able to score important goals every year, but they never came in finals. I scored in Wembley semi finals, in the semi final of the Copa Del Rey in Spain, but I was always asking myself why they never came in finals?
“And then we played Real Madrid, European Super Cup. Now, it is difficult for young people to understand but that Super Cup, in 1998, for that Chelsea team before Roman Abramovich - it was amazing. We were beating the Champions League winners and for me to be able to score that winning goal, it was my most special moment.”
