Pochettino hits out at Tuchel and Potter for problem with Chelsea fans
Mauricio Pochettino has pointed his finger at his Chelsea predecessors for dampening the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are enduring another disappointing campaign and sit ninth in the Premier League having won just nine of their 21 matches. That poor form has affected the mood of the fans, who arrive at Stamford Bridge unsure what sort of performance they are going to see from their side.
Club legend Pat Nevin has described the Chelsea matchday atmosphere as similar to “a mausoleum on a rainy Monday” of late. But, speaking ahead of their crucial Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, Pochettino suggested that Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel were responsible for sucking the life out of Chelsea’s home ground.
“We are paying now [for] the effect of 18 months,” Pochettino said. “We have been here for six months and sometimes, for us, it is difficult to appreciate or to compare. We arrived this season and it is only six months. It is true we are getting better results now. But the disappointment for the fans is coming from behind and last season.
“Now people can give their opinion about this, maybe it is a little bit more flat and not good, because maybe it has been disappointing for a long period. But in how we feel, Stamford Bridge is very good.
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“In a few periods in some games, like Brentford or Nottingham Forest, the energy was really down because the team didn’t engage the fans. That is our mistake. But in the rest of the games – Arsenal, City, Brighton, Liverpool – the fans were really good.”
Mauricio Pochettino spoke about the Stamford Bridge atmosphere (Darren Walsh/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What have you made of the Stamford Bridge atmosphere of late? Comment below.
Chelsea are actually unbeaten at home in all competitions since losing 2-0 to Brentford on October 28. They have won seven of their past eight games at Stamford Bridge, with Manchester City the only side to take a point away in the hugely entertaining 4-4 draw in November.
The Blues face a potentially season-defining match on Tuesday against Middlesbrough, who hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg in the north east. If Chelsea can overturn the deficit then Pochettino would book a first cup final for the club since they won the Club World Cup in 2021.
"I think we were very disappointed after the game,” he said of the first leg at Middlesbrough. “When you analyse the game, I think we deserved more but football is sometimes not to deserve; it's to be clinical, to score goals and to defend strong and to be also in shape. We were all disappointed but we have 90 minutes to fix the situation and try to win.
"We need to respect. We will respect the opponent, they are going to be tough. But it's a massive chance for us. We have the possibility to go to the final and fight for a title."
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