Mauricio Pochettino questioned his players’ mindset and accused them of making life “easy” for Newcastle as Chelsea lost 4-1 at St James’ Park. Due to an injury issue, Newcastle listed three goalkeepers on a hugely inexperienced bench for Saturday’s visit to Chelsea, yet they swept the Blues aside.
Pochettino’s team came into the game after good wins over Tottenham and Manchester City, but they lost Reece James to a red card and Thiago Silva made a mistake that saw Newcastle take advantage to double their lead.
When asked about Silva’s uncommon misstep, Pochettino blamed his entire team, saying, “It’s a bad mistake, but I’m talking more about energy.”
“We did not prepare ourselves to compete in the best way. This is my concern. We thought we were ready to compete but we didn’t compete in the way the competition demanded. Even if Newcastle weren’t great, it was an easy win.
“It was so easy with the way we conceded, and we were so soft in every challenge. We didn’t show that we were playing for something important. That’s what makes me angry and disappointed. Even if we are a young team and need to learn, these types of games make me very angry.” Said Pochettino.
Pochettino hinted that his youthful team had lost sight of the goal after their recent success, adding, “It’s about showing more personality and character.” We are young, yet we cannot pass up this opportunity.
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