Mauricio Pochettino counting on Tottenham tactic to turn tide at Chelsea

23 September 2023 , 04:30

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Mauricio Pochettino counting on Tottenham tactic to turn tide at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino has pleaded to be given time at Chelsea - for his trusty lemons to work their magic.

The Argentinian is a firm believer in the tangy fruit being able to absorb unwanted negative energy. He kept a basket in his office when he was manager at Tottenham - and made sure the Stamford Bridge fruit bowl was also well stocked when he arrived in the summer.

Given Chelsea's injury woes and fan frustration at just one Premier League win so far Poch could be forgiven for deciding to upgrade to grapefruit - or perhaps even a watermelon. He made it clear though that only lemons would do.

He said: "It is not a joke. I believe in the lemons but at Tottenham they started to work after one-and-a-half, two years. They need a long time.

"Today in my office I have yellow ones, green ones - different types. From Spain, from Italy. I always thought the yellow lemons worked much better than the green but now I believe any colour can help. If I could get a blue lemon it would be even better!"

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Chelsea host Aston Villa on Sunday in desperate need of a victory. No European action has given injured players time to close in on comebacks after 12 missed out on last week's 0-0 draw at Bournemouth. But Pochettino admitted it was painful to see the Champions League going ahead without the Blues.

He said: "I am not going to lie, I want to be involved and to travel Tuesday or Wednesday - not Thursday though. It is really tough to watch. I prefer to watch after, when I know the scores. You feel like you should be there. It is a motivation for me to say to the players ‘ come on, we need to improve’."

Mid-table obscurity has been particularly frustrating for Brazil defender Thiago Silva, who has just turned 39. But Pochettino reckons he shouldn't have signed a new deal when there was no manager if he didn't want to be involved in a long-term project.

He said: "He knew the project that the club is delivering now."

Pochettino revealed why Conor Gallagher has worn the captain's armband ahead of World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez at times when Reece James and Ben Chilwell have been out, adding: "Enzo is still struggling with his English. If we need to communicate with the referee Conor can perfectly do the job."

One man who is no longer allowed to talk to referees however is Nicolas Jackson. The Senegal striker is one booking away from a ban having picked up four yellow cards already - all for dissent. Pochettino said: "He’s clever and for sure he will adapt."

Jon West