08 February 2024 , 13:45
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Malo Gusto hammered out a defiant message as Chelsea delivered at Villa Park saying: “We aren’t dead.”
The French full-back said the Blues’ squad carried out Mauricio Pochettino ’s plan to the letter as they booked a fifth-round date with rivals Leeds United in the FA Cup. Pochettino’s side produced their best performance of the campaign, recovering from back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Wolves as they upset the form book with a 3-1 win on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery ’s side were favourites to progress on their own patch but a devastating early double from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson was followed by a sumptuous Enzo Fernandez free-kick before Moussa Diaby put some gloss on the scoreline with a late consolation.
Gusto, 20, claimed reports of the club’s demise had been exaggerated, saying: “We are Chelsea and it was important to show the fans we are not dead. We had a meeting before the game and the coach told us to get a good mentality. That we had to stay together under pressure.
“We know that the group is young. So it’s important that we stay together and we will all become better. We know we have to show more. We have to show our talent. But we are a young squad and we will improve. All together to become better.”
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The backlash following the 4-2 defeat by Wolves placed Pochettino firmly in the spotlight as questions were again asked. Results away from Stamford Bridge have been poor – Wednesday night’s triumph followed six defeats in seven across all competitions – but Gusto said there could still be plenty to cheer come the end of the season.
He said: “We’ve been working on it this week, keeping the ball and moving it quickly. I think we did that. I can’t say if it was our best performance of the season, or not. The most important thing was the collective. Our mentality was nice, together, and that’s why we won.
Mauricio Pochettino held talks with his players after the Wolves defeat (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Chelsea finish the season strongly? Comment below.
“And you never know what might happen. We have to stay focused on the Premier League, the FA Cup and we are in the final of the Carabao Cup, too.”
Pochettino himself was delighted after trying to free the players of the negativity of the defeats at Anfield and against Gary O’Neil’s side. He said: “After the game, we held a meeting and I said: ‘Look, it’s about trust and energy and how you approach the game.’
“A real team needs to believe and you could see we were ready to fight. We were united and we fought for each other and the fans. But we do need to stop thinking we are Chelsea from 20 years ago. We need to move on.
“Now, it’s a young team in the Premier League and one that needs to be consistent. I care for my players. I want to help them, we want the best for the players and the club. And I don’t care what people say. We are going to fight. But this sort of thing needs time and trust. We can’t build a team capable of challenging in a few months because we need to fix too many things. We are building a team.”