Mauricio Pochettino: Chelsea boss receives ‘good text’ from owners amid pressure

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said he has received “a very good text” from the club’s owners amid pressure on him following back-to-back defeats.

“I think we are all together in this and that’s important,” Pochettino said.

“I received a very good text from [the owners],” he added. “Of course I am in contact with them and the sporting director every day.”

Pressure has grown on Chelsea’s Argentine manager, whose side lost 4-1 to Liverpool four days before the Wolves defeat.

They are 15 points shy of the Premier League’s top four and five points off London rivals West Ham United in seventh.

Despite heavy investment in the club since Boehly purchased Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, the Blues recorded their lowest finish in the 20-team Premier League era last term, coming 12th.

After boos from the Stamford Bridge crowd at the weekend, Pochettino has called for support from the Blues’ fan base.

“The fans need to trust in us,” he said. “We need to provide the calm for the players to feel free to play.

“We need to create a good connection with the fans. The fans need to understand when they go to Stamford Bridge it’s a different Chelsea, a different project, a different everything. It’s the responsibility of the players and the staff to create a connection, something in between they appreciate.

“The fans need from us to see that we really care about the club. I promise you and the fans that the players want to perform and win games.

“The players suffer when they are not performing. They are desperate to receive the love from the fans but at the same time they understand the situation. If you are not performing it’s normal the fans should criticise us. We need to be together.”

Chelsea head to Aston Villa on Wednesday for an FA Cup fourth round replay at Villa Park (20:00 GMT). Later this month, they face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

‘If you wait any longer, it will be too late’

Pochettino also defended his relationship with experienced centre-back Thiago Silva, 39, after a tweet from the Brazilian’s wife which suggested Chelsea needed to make a change imminently.

During the closing minutes of the defeat by Wolves, Belle Silva tweeted: “It’s time to change. If you wait any longer it will be too late.”

Pochettino said he had spoken to the 2021 Champions League winner since his wife’s comment.

“He came today to talk with me. The important thing is he came and wanted to talk with me,” Pochettino added.

“We are very strong in the way we want to operate. We talked and I don’t want to divulge, it was private. It [my relationship with Silva] is very good.” – bbc.com