The former Tottenham Hotspur manager has taken over at Stamford Bridge on a two-year deal. Credit: Getty Images/Darren Walsh
Mauricio Pochettino insisted that Chelsea co-owners Todd Boly and Behdad Egbali would not be able to visit the Stamford Bridge dressing room or the club's Cobham training facility without his consent.
New head coach Pochettino also said he «likes the risk» of taking over at Chelsea, who were run by four different people last season and always demanded instant success.
Boly and Egbali were regulars in the Chelsea dressing room last season, and Boeli, speaking to the players, described their plight as «embarrassing» after the home loss to Brighton. The couple also made regular trips to Cobham to watch training.
Asked if he would allow Boeli and Egbali to be in the dressing room and on the training ground, Pochettino said: «First of all, we need to understand they own a football club, and we must respect that.”
“It’s another thing to talk about how we need to behave, because this is an important thing – culture in England, football in England. My responsibility is to help and add our knowledge and capabilities to create this culture so that everyone knows how to behave in different situations.”
“Of course, for me it is more than welcome if the owner comes to the locker room, to the training ground. But, like I said, they always have to report it to me, I need to know and prepare, you know, people, because here in England, these things are really special.
“It may be different in other countries, but here it is. Coach or head coach or manager, you have some kind of influence on the whole football club, on the fans, on the players, on the staff, on everyone. Of course, all together we have to create it.”
“We are here to guide, guide all the people who are involved in this football club, try to create the best game, try and work and work the best.”< /p>
“As for me, I am more than happy if they [the owners] are with us, but the coach, head coach or manager decides how it will work in the dressing room, on the field, on the training ground. And also together with the sports director to create a line at all.»
Behdad Ehbali (left) and Todd Boli visited in the locker room after matches and spoke regularly with the players last season. Photo: Getty Images/Clive Rose
Pochettino encouraged a culture in which his old Tottenham Hotspur players shook hands every morning with chairman Daniel Levy, but he joked that the size of the team at Chelsea might make it difficult to replicate that rule.
«That's not rule. ,» he said. «It's about respect. It means knowing people, feeling people. I guess when I come to the training ground, sometimes it's a matter of habit. What I like is to check in, but when you have to check 100 people, maybe it's complicated!»
Chelsea sacked two full-time managers, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, last season, with Bruno Saltor taking over one game and Frank Lampard ending the season as interim manager.
But Pochettino is adamant that that he is unfazed by the pressures of managing Chelsea and insists he will not use what happened last season or the team's departure this summer as an excuse.
The Argentine 'loves the risk' while applying for a job at Chelsea
“I love risk,” Pochettino said. “I love, you know, being on top with the expectations of being here and I think that's a challenge for me. It's a big challenge that I want to feel, I want to feel the adrenaline again and you know to fight for big things. This football club, thanks to its history, aims to win big trophies. I want to prove to myself that I can handle it.”
“Now we need to be competitive at the training ground, otherwise we won't arrive on time. I don't want to make excuses to the players to say, first of all, we need time to readjust, we need time to work, we need, we need, we need.»
“No, no excuses, and we start to work hard, manage and drive the way we want. No excuses. Competition waits for no one and now we are going to start again against Liverpool in the first game to be ready to win, and if not, we will definitely fight.”
Done. Pochettino said he would have several excuses for Chelsea's failures next season, such as the club relying on so many young players and the loss of experienced managers like former captain Cesar Azpilicueta, but the Argentine turned down the opportunity to take advantage of them. .
“With or without experience, you can win or lose,” he said. “If not, then it is not a rule. The most important thing, whether it's experience or lack of it, is to find the right balance in the squad, in the team, try to feel good, feel strong. I think we have players with experience in how we are going to cook and combine ingredients and work really well.”
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