Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino comments on his team’s goalless streak following Villa defeat
After another toothless display in attack, in the defeat against Aston Villa, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino explained his approach to instilling confidence in his rather inexperienced team.
The Blues have managed to find the back of the net only five times in six matches. Three of those came against relegation-battling Luton Town.
In the post-match conference covered by football.london, when asked how to improve Chelsea’s scoring woes, Pochettino responded :
“Work, trust in them, confidence. We have the squad we have, we need try to build the confidence and give them all of the support they need because they need to perform on the pitch. The performance is good, not excellent but we are missing goals.”
Despite creating chances, Chelsea’s frontline has lacked cutting-edge all season. 22-year-old striker Nicolas Jackson alone has missed 7 big goal-scoring chances.
Rather than rashly targeting new attackers, Pochettino aims to stand firmly behind his existing options. He will focus on incrementally improving confidence and chemistry on the training ground, which he definitely should because cohesion and chemistry have been one of the team’s weakest sectors.
The fact that the Blues have been missing 10 first-team players due to injury, has also been a nasty thorn not only in Pochettino’s side but the players’ too. The absence of key figures like team captain Reece James, midfielder Moises Caicedo, striker Christopher Nkunku, and winger Noni Madueke have put immense pressure on the existing players.
However, the silver lining lies in the fact that even with the absence of key players, the inexperienced Chelsea team is still creating scoring chances. Creating chances and then flunking them in a final third has become somewhat of a ritual for the youngsters at Stamford Bridge.
So with Chelsea creating opportunities, Pochettino feels unlocking the frontline is about psychology, not personnel. If he facilitates the trust and belief missing in the final third, the floodgates may finally open.
More Chelsea News
- Mauricio Pochettino reveals that Chelsea star Levi Colwill is not seriously injured
- Mauricio Pochettino causes Chelsea frenzy after failing to recognise Malang Sarr
- Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea have approached Corinthians for Gabriel Moscardo
Time will tell whether Pochettino’s patient approach pays dividends or if a change in personnel becomes unavoidable. For now, he remains committed to coaxing the best from his goal-shy attackers.
