Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino on their hopes for European qualification and the challenge of facing Arsenal in the Premier League
Cobham, London, UK
Cobham, London, UK
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00:00 If you'd like to ask a question, please raise your hand. We'll look to get around as many
00:04 as possible. We'll start with Jeremy from Sky.
00:08 Hi, Ruzio. Nice to see you again. The injury bulletin after Wembley isn't good. Paul Karma
00:15 is ill. Is he out of the Arsenal game?
00:19 Today no. We'll see tomorrow. We need to assess him tomorrow morning. Today no. I don't believe
00:32 that can be involved. We need to assess him tomorrow and then we will decide. Even if
00:40 he will be good tomorrow, maybe he's not in a condition to play. I hope he recovers from
00:46 this situation and as soon as possible can be involved again with the team.
00:53 Is it possible to beat Arsenal without Paul Karma?
00:58 With and without, we always believe that we can win. The most important is the team, the
01:03 most important is the collective, of course. He's an important part of the team. He's doing
01:14 fantastic for us but I think that's Chelsea and of course there are plenty of players
01:20 that can perform and do the job also.
01:24 The news regarding Chilwell and Gusto isn't good either. Can you explain what their problems are?
01:31 Malo suffered a minor injury or problem in the ligament on his knee. Sorry, I am not
01:41 a doctor but you asked me and I respect and show respect trying to translate what is going
01:49 on. I hope it's not a big issue and Chile also, after the national team, is the same
01:57 problem that suffered in the last few weeks.
02:01 How are the players feeling after Wembley? Thiago Silva was visibly upset in the speculation
02:08 that he may be leaving Chelsea at the end of the season. He is 39. Would you like him
02:13 to stay or do you know what he's doing?
02:17 I think he was saying after that there is no time to talk. In the moment that he wants
02:23 to communicate some things, he will and for sure the club will communicate the situation.
02:29 So far we are not talking. So far I think we were involved in the semi-final of the
02:35 FA Cup and now we are trying to go high in the table. I think at the moment there is
02:42 nothing to communicate for our side.
02:45 How are you feeling after Wembley? Obviously if Nicholas Jackson had taken some of those
02:49 chances it could have been very different. He's had a pretty good season, he scored
02:53 10 goals in the Premier League but how much can you improve Nicholas Jackson?
02:57 The first season is always difficult for all the players. More when you are in a position
03:02 like you are a striker and you need to perform and to score goals and everyone expects in
03:08 every single touch to score a goal. I think he's our main striker, all the strikers that
03:17 we have fit because N'Kuukko N'Neilly didn't play in the whole season, Brogia also and
03:25 then he moved to Fulham, wanted to play more. Yes, I think he's doing fantastic. He's
03:37 doing an amazing job for the team, running, scoring goals, giving assists and I think
03:44 his first season as a young guy coming from Spain, even with not too much experience there,
03:53 I think he's doing fantastic. We were talking, always I said we wanted the players to match
04:01 the icon players here, the idols like Drogba. If we compare with Drogba, yes, he's always
04:07 going to lose but if we split the history of the club with the team and the performance
04:15 of the team and the performance of Jackson, I think he's doing fantastic. He's going
04:22 to have all my support because even if he doesn't score, in the way that he is fighting
04:30 for the club, fighting for the team-mates, for the team and producing some chances, he
04:37 alone, and then of course he needs time to improve. Yes, he's going to be better next
04:42 season, for sure. No doubt about that. It's only that he needs to keep going.
04:48 There are seven games left for you to try and get European football. You're 27 points
04:53 behind Arsenal in the table. Are you confident that you can restore Chelsea to the level
05:00 that Arsenal currently are at?
05:02 If we are confident one day to get to the same level, of course. We are optimistic and
05:11 we are positive and always in football the most important thing is to believe and of
05:18 course to have a strategy and to have the plan to get to this level. Arsenal was a few
05:24 years ago when Arteta arrived, was in a different situation than today and then with time, confidence
05:31 and trust in him after a few years, you know, he's there. It happened with different coaches
05:37 like Pep or Klopp and here it's not a different thing. It's about to have trust, confidence
05:47 and let us work.
05:49 On Saturday at Wembley there was a handball showdown against Greenwich, you didn't get
05:54 the penalty. Yesterday Forest were really annoyed about not getting three penalties
05:59 and they made a serious allegation about the integrity of officials in the Premier League.
06:05 What's your reaction to that?
06:07 No, I don't want to be involved in a matter that is not my, I cannot be involved in a
06:12 scene like this. I think for me the most important thing is to talk about my games and my club
06:19 and of course disappointed with Saturday about that we didn't win and of course it was an
06:26 action that maybe the referee can interpret as a penalty or not, the VAR. But look, that
06:35 is what happens in football, sometimes it's for you, sometimes it's against you and we
06:41 need to move on, we need to move on because we are not going to change the result of the
06:45 game.
06:46 Thank you.
06:47 You're welcome.
06:48 You say you need to move on, have you managed to pick your players up? What's the mood
06:52 like around here?
06:53 The mood is good because I think we played a very good game. I think we played so well,
06:58 again a team that is one of the best teams in the world. I think our performance was
07:07 really good, it was very positive things that we need to take. Of course in the last few
07:12 minutes we conceded a goal that we should not concede but that is part of football. I think
07:18 we created too many chances, again a team that for me is the best team in the world.
07:23 And of course that is a good thing to keep working in this way and that is the way that
07:35 we need to be for the future. How we can get to this level is working, taking decisions,
07:47 trying to add to the team things that can help us to improve the level. We are working
08:00 in this, that is the first season with too many circumstances that we were dealing with
08:05 but I think we need to be happy because the evolution with all the situations is good.
08:13 You came so close to beating Arsenal in the reverse fixture, what can you take from that
08:18 game going into this one?
08:20 I think it is completely different now and I think the circumstances are completely different.
08:24 But of course now we are at the end of the season and they are playing for the Premier
08:31 League, for sure it is a final game for them, for us also, it should be the same and to
08:38 be in a better position on the table. We are I think two or three games behind of all the
08:50 teams that are above us and I think it is important to try to win games like this to
08:56 help us to be close to being in a European competition next season.
09:00 I also wanted to ask you about John Terry who today was inducted into the Premier League
09:05 Hall of Fame, obviously a legend at this club, what are your memories of him as a player?
09:11 Fantastic player, fantastic player, we were suffering with him when we faced Tottenham
09:17 and him, congratulations to him, well deserved.
09:20 Thank you, good luck.
09:22 You are welcome, thank you very much.
09:23 Alex BBC.
09:24 Hi Mauricio, a lot has been made of the chances Nicholas Jackson missed at the weekend, how
09:29 does he react after a game like that and how would you pick up a young striker to leave
09:34 that result behind?
09:35 Yes, we were talking yesterday and yes, he was tired, more than he normally is because
09:44 the team wanted to win, all the players wanted to go to the final but the thing is he is
09:50 young and needs to leave this type of situation to improve and no, today was better, better
09:56 energy and the whole team today is much better.
09:59 And after the match Pep Guardiola said about the calendar, there is only two days recovery
10:06 for you before you take on Arsenal, is that a good thing or would you like longer to recover
10:12 from the semi-final before the match against Arsenal?
10:15 You ask me if, like today, is it better there is not much time to recover between the games,
10:23 between Man City and the Arsenal game, is it a good thing?
10:26 Yes, but that is the future, what we can do, that we can, it's impossible to change and
10:30 we need to accept because we were involved in the Carabao Cup until today and now in
10:35 the FA Cup nearly until today and you know we need to catch up and yes, it's not the
10:41 best thing but we need to accept that is the future and yes, I think he was saying in an
10:52 interview after the game, what we can do, yes, it's not only to have meetings with
10:58 the Premier League for them to communicate us, we are going to change this and that,
11:03 it's to be involved before the things that happen and to be involved in trying to be
11:07 part of the decision but at the moment, nothing we can do.
11:11 And Arsenal have quite a settled side, they have the same group of players they have used
11:16 throughout the season, something you haven't been able to do, does that kind of show what
11:20 consistency you can bring?
11:22 Sorry, I was thinking, sorry repeat please.
11:28 Arsenal have had quite a settled side throughout the season, you have the same players, you
11:33 haven't been able to do that with injuries and players coming in and out, does it show
11:38 what consistency you can bring?
11:40 Yes, it's true, being consistent is part of the, you know, to have all the players fit
11:45 and all a higher percentage of the, you know, during the season and I think to increase
11:53 the percentage of the players available is going to be a challenge for the next season
11:58 and of course being consistent is about to have all the players fighting for the place
12:06 on the pitch, days like today or yesterday when you have the possibility to train with
12:13 the team and it's true that we didn't have the possibility during the whole season, you
12:26 know, for different circumstances to have all the squad available to create this way
12:33 to compete but yes, we cannot complain, that sometimes happens in football and we need
12:38 to accept that but I think we were dealing very well.
12:41 I repeat again, the match, the history of the club was difficult, it's difficult but
12:47 in the way that it will split the team and the evolution with all the circumstances we
12:52 need to take many positive things.
12:54 Last two questions, we'll go to Liam and then Nizar.
12:56 Hi Mauricio, Nicolas Sjaksen suffered some racist abuse on social media after Saturday's
13:04 game, how does that make you feel and how is he feeling right now?
13:08 I think we all suffer, all public people suffer, you know, more in football because people
13:15 hide behind the social media, that is why it's not a reference, we always talk about
13:19 that, it's not a reference. Of course we need to be there in social media because it's a
13:27 good way to communicate with the fans, with the good fans, with the good people that want
13:32 to know about us but after the people is hiding behind the social media to try to create that.
13:40 The most important is to be strong and to know that that cannot be a reference of what
13:46 the people think about you, about different things in life.
13:51 And finish with Nizar.
13:54 Mauricio, I wanted to ask you about Emma Hayes' team, they beat Barcelona on Saturday in the
13:59 Champions League, I wondered if you had a message for them ahead of the second leg on
14:03 Saturday and if you spoke to them?
14:05 All the best, all the best, I'm so happy for Emma and all the coaching staff and the players.
14:09 We were watching the game, it was before our game at Wembley and good memories because
14:16 when I was in Espanyol I started my career as a coach in Munchwick, in the Olympic Stadium
14:23 and they were playing there and I think beating Barcelona was fantastic but now the second
14:30 leg is going to be tough here, hope that we keep the same result and go through to the
14:35 final. All the best for Emma and all the coaching staff and the players of course.
14:41 Thank you. We'll end the broadcast section there.