Pochettino angered by ‘soft’ Chelsea collapse at Newcastle

Pochettino angered by 'soft' chelsea collapse at newcastle0

The Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, called his team “soft” following his team’s 4-1 loss to a fatigued Newcastle on Saturday. The Argentine was furious.

After a dramatic 4-4 draw against champions Manchester City before the international break, and a 4-1 victory against Tottenham, the Blues appeared to have turned the corner in Pochettino’s debut season in the team.

However, at St. James’ Park, the visitors collapsed in the second half as Newcastle triumphed over an injury crisis that had left Eddie Howe shorthanded by 13 first-team players.


Pochettino, who was prohibited from the touchline, watched the match from the stands. “We had to come here, Chelsea, to show that it’s going to be difficult for them to play, to win the game, and to beat us,” he added.

“However, the manner we gave up and how pliable we were in each and every hurdle made it incredibly simple. We failed to demonstrate that we were competing for a significant prize.

That’s what enrages and disappoints me. We discuss that as a young squad, we still have a lot to learn, but these kinds of games, when the emphasis is on personality and character, really aggravate me.”

Despite spending more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on new players in less than two years under Todd Boehly’s consortium, Chelsea’s defeat drops them to 10th place in the standings.

Alexander Isak’s early opener had been cancelled out by Raheem Sterling, leaving the score tied at the interval.

However, Newcastle took control after the break thanks to two goals in two minutes from Joelinton and Jamaal Lascelles, which caused Chelsea to crumble.

The captain of Chelsea, Reece James, was subsequently sent off for two bookable offences, and late on, Antony Gordon added insult to Pochettino’s injuries.

“We thought that we were ready to compete today, but we didn’t in the way that the competition demands,” said Pochettino.

“Even if Newcastle weren’t great, it was an easy win.”

Now, Newcastle’s focus is on assembling a squad capable of avoiding elimination from the Champions League when they play Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The Magpies’ first exposure to Europe’s top tournament in twenty years will come to an end at the group stage if they lose in the French capital.

“You look at the players who were missing and that was a giant performance from the players we have fit,” explained Howe.

“To be able to come together and give a performance like that speaks volumes for the character of the players we have, the leaders we have in the group and our ability to just focus on the present, on what’s happening right now.”

Newcastle advances to sixth place, three points off of the leaders.

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