Premier League: Transition no excuse for Chelsea, says Pochettino

Chelsea supervisor Mauricio Pochettino says he’ll make no excuses if his facet fails to carry out at its finest in its Premier League opener in opposition to Liverpool on Sunday, despite the fact that it’s within the midst of a serious overhaul.

Chelsea appointed Pochettino on the finish of May after ending a disappointing 2022-23 marketing campaign in twelfth place – its worst league end since 1994.

In a bid to trim a bloated squad, the membership has since moved on greater than 15 gamers – together with former captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly – whereas bringing in six.

“We are more in transition than Liverpool because I am new here. (Juergen) Klopp has been at Liverpool for seven years,” Pochettino advised reporters on Friday.

“Of course, we are Chelsea. The history of the club is to win. Even if we are in transition, we need to win and be ready to win against Liverpool. The mentality for the players is to compete and try to win. I’m not going to accept a different way to think. We want to put the club where the club deserves to be.”

Sunday’s conflict could have added spice, provided that the 2 groups are locked in a switch battle over Moises Caicedo.

The west London membership has been in protracted negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion over the signing of Caicedo, however British media on Friday mentioned Liverpool had agreed a deal value 111 million kilos ($141 million) for the Ecuadorean midfielder.

Pochettino declined to touch upon that switch saga, including, “We are working very hard to add players of quality to the squad. At the moment, I don’t want to talk about players who don’t belong to us. We are working very hard, I am so happy with how we are doing things. It’s obvious when you look at the squad and when you compare it to last season, too many midfielders have left. We are trying hard, but being respectful.”

Pochettino added that Chelsea is on the lookout for a alternative for attacker Christopher Nkunku, who is ready to be sidelined for an “extended period” after present process surgical procedure for a knee damage he picked up throughout a pre-season pleasant.

“We feel very sorry about him. He was doing well, he is a very important for us,” Pochettino mentioned.

“Now it’s about not thinking too much about the injuries and to be positive about when he can be back with us. We are working in the market also, trying to find a solution, maybe short term, medium and long term to add the right profile for the team.”