Chelsea fans chanted against Mauricio Pochettino during the 2-2 draw with Brentford (Shutterstock)
Mauricio Pochettino insists he understands the frustration from Chelsea supporters who called for his sacking during the 2-2 draw with Brentford on Saturday.
Nicolas Jackson gave Chelsea the lead in the first half but Brentford were in front by 69 minutes through Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa’s excellent acrobatic effort.
With their side 2-1 behind, Chelsea supporters began to sing the names of Jose Mourinho and former owner Roman Abramovich, whilst also chanting against Todd Boehly.
But for the first time this season, Chelsea fans began to chant against Pochettino as ‘f*** off, Mauricio’ could be heard from the away end at the Gtech Community Stadium.
When asked about the chants against him, Pochettino said: ‘Yes, I’ve been told but I didn’t hear, to be honest.
‘It’s difficult for me to understand so that why I cannot… I don’t know, I need to believe what you are telling me, but it’s normal, we are losing the game 2-1, it’s about expressing frustration, of course we are responsible, I am the one responsible, I am the head coach.’
When asked if he is concerned about his relationship with Chelsea supporters, Pochettino said: ‘No, I am not worried. We need to accept this relationship.
‘Someone asked me, ‘do you feel the love from the fans?’. No. We need to build the relationship between the coaching staff and the fans, you build your relationship through winning games.
‘But at the moment we can’t match the expectation. When we’re not matching the expectation are we going to ask for love? Normally in football when there’s frustration you pay with the coach or with the people who are above with responsibility.
‘I’m not asking for anything, I will continue to work and change this perception, change winning games, we now have one week to prepare for Newcastle and try to win and keep moving and pushing.
Chelsea remain 11th in the Premier League after their 2-2 draw with Brentford (AP)
‘We need to manage some reality, I cannot explain every day why. Of course, we are working really, really hard to try to win games. The team is fighting, in six days we played 120 minutes last Sunday, Wednesday was another tough game, we are a little bit short in some positions because of injuries or circumstance. We can refresh the team and try to find different ways to play, different systems to try to provide the team with more consistency.
‘If that doesn’t work and the fans are disappointed with that then I respect their opinion.
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‘I think the relationship is good, if they did what they did I think it’s the frustration, we need to understand fans are emotional, I am fighting with all my sense to provide the team with the best tools to work and to improve and to play in the best way and of course, scoring goals and win games.
But if that’s not possible… today is my 52nd birthday, I know this business very well, I’m never going to give up, I’m going to fight, I am ready to fight tomorrow again and for the next game. I understand this business, we are going to keep going.’
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