Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is very angry after his side lost to Newcastle United, earlier today, 4-1. We know that because he said so, using the word “angry” four times for emphasis.
The angry Argentine labeled today’s effort the worst game of the season thus far for Chelsea, and even referred to his side as “soft.”
If you’re a Blues supporter, and you watched that match, can you really disagree with Poch?
“This was the worst game of our season so far,” Pochettino said after watching the match from the St. James Park stands due to a self-imposed touchline ban.
“It was tough to be in the stands. We cannot complain about the result, we did not read the game from the beginning.”
It’s a long story, but if you’re interested, 90 Min did a good, in-depth piece on it.
Pochettino continued:
We were soft in every single challenge. We did not compete. We did not show we were playing for something important. That is what makes me angry and disappointed. We need to learn in these games, what makes me very, very, very, very angry because we have to show more personality and character.”
Having recently handed Tottenham Hotspur their first loss of the season, and coming off a draw with Manchester City, a lot more was expected out of Chelsea today. There were some who were really starting to believe that a corner may have been turned.
Any and all positive momentum was eradicated today, and some will question the decision that Pochettino made to ban himself from the touchline. The manager didn’t see that as much of a factor when asked about it.
“We cannot miss this kind of opportunity to show our best,” he responded.
We came from Tottenham and City, and all around the world people praise Chelsea.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.