Chelsea's Pochettino on their hopes for European qualification and the challenge of Arsenal (Full Presser)

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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino on their hopes for European qualification and the challenge of facing Arsenal in the Premier League Cobham, London, UK

Transcript

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.

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