Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino on progress so far after Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Liverpool
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00:00 beginning was tough. I think it was difficult. Liverpool was better after 15-20 minutes.
00:06 But after we started to feel more comfortable on the pitch, I think we started to find our
00:12 ways to play and find our position. All that we were working on the training ground. I
00:20 think after that, I think the performance was really good. We scored and then we always
00:28 showed great performance and good effort. I'm so pleased with the performance overall.
00:33 I think we deserve to win because only we conceded one shoot on target. Again, a team
00:38 like Liverpool that deserves a big credit to the players. And of course, so pleased.
00:45 It's only the standard, it's only the beginning. After six weeks working together, I think
00:50 only I can say thank you to all the staff, all the areas in the club and the players
00:54 that are the principal actors.
00:56 Last season, Chelsea probably would have not been able to respond after that first 20-25
01:03 minutes. How pleasing for you is it to see the spirit that they've come back with?
01:08 Yes, when we arrived here the first day, we didn't want to talk about the past. I think
01:14 it's about to move on. Always in football, it's about to move on. Even when some action
01:18 happens on the pitch, you need to move on. Because if you are thinking about what happened
01:23 a few seconds before, you are not going to be ready and anticipate the action that is
01:29 coming. We said, which is the most important action in football is this one. That is always
01:37 what we want to settle from the beginning. That we arrived is about to talk about the
01:46 present and the future. But I am so pleased because when some difficult moments appeared,
01:54 the team was there. The crowd was fantastic, the fans were fantastic. We showed the belief
01:59 and that was a good point. It was a very good help for the team to keep going, fighting
02:06 and never give up.
02:07 You played with a back four for most of the pre-season.
02:14 Today also, back four.
02:16 Looks more like a back three.
02:19 It looks like a warming field, a drop to play in between the two central backs. When you
02:26 build it's three. It's like today, we build with Isasi, we're in possession with Isasi,
02:31 Silva, Levi, Caldwell. But if you see the second phase, when we didn't have the ball,
02:38 it was back four, Levi and Riz, back four. And then the two central backs, Isasi and
02:45 Thiago. If you have a drone and take a picture, it depends on the height of the pitch. Maybe
02:52 sometimes it's one, four, two, three, one. One, three, five. I don't know the number
02:59 because I'm losing the number. But I've seen these two different phases that we tried today.
03:07 In possession to play with three, building from back, two midfielders. And then Riz and
03:14 Chilli. And then using the pocket with Raheem and Carney and in from Jackson. And then when
03:23 we didn't have the ball, it's back four, two midfielders. Chilli going inside because Trent
03:30 was always doing like a midfielder, no in the side. And then of course Carney number
03:38 ten and number nine, Nico. I don't know, maybe I'm talking too much about tactics.
03:46 You're doing well. Tom Roddy.
03:47 Thank you.
03:49 Kepa wasn't involved in the squad today. What was the reason for that?
03:54 No, the reason I explained before to your colleagues, he has to explore different situations,
04:02 different possibilities and that is why. Yesterday we were talking and I think for us the decision
04:08 is to have all the players that are committed and thinking to be in Chelsea for the season.
04:15 And that is why he wasn't on the squad. We'll see. If we have something to inform, we will
04:20 inform quick.
04:21 Tony Banks.
04:22 Mauricio, you made Riz your captain this season. Can you explain why that was?
04:29 I think it's for after nearly six weeks working, I think we decided with the club to give the
04:38 armament to him because I think it's the perfect profile. He's a fantastic player, he's a fantastic
04:45 boy. He loves Chelsea. He's a leader. The team mates respect him and everyone respects
04:59 the club and the fans love him also. I think he's the perfect player to be a captain forever.
05:06 Why did you take him off just before the injury?
05:09 Because he was tired. But you need to see from where. The first thing we were doing
05:16 when we arrived was to assess and analyse all the players from the past. He was injured,
05:23 you know, three or four months injured. The pre-season was always tough for him. But of
05:32 course we didn't want to find or take any risk and that is why, I don't know, it was
05:41 80 minutes or like this. We wanted to keep away a little bit, avoid the risk.
05:49 We've got time for two more because Jürgen's waiting outside. Neil?
05:53 Talking of Rhys, Rhys and Raheem Sterling combined constantly and got dangerous balls
06:02 into the penalty area. I mean that was a relationship and to be honest we haven't seen before.
06:08 In a good way?
06:09 In a good way, yeah. We haven't seen any relationships for the last year. But was that something
06:17 that you expected at that level? Because it didn't sharpen pre-season even that kind of way.
06:23 We were working and always in between good players appear, you know, this combination
06:30 and that complicity. Yes, that is what we want in all the areas on the pitch. I think
06:36 today, second half, more than the second half, I've seen the team find very good positions.
06:43 In the opposite half we want to dominate the games. Even if we were playing against a team
06:49 like Liverpool. But today, I think it's only the beginning, it's only the first step. I
06:54 am so pleased but we are far away from what we expect from them and what we want from
07:00 them. That is why we are going to push every day to try to improve every single area, every
07:06 single relationship, you know. Individual and collective we need to be better and better
07:12 and better. Of course that is going to help when the transfer window closes, you know.
07:16 It's going to be fantastic. That is going to be the moment and we are going to have
07:25 time to work in all these relationships and improve individually and collectively the team.
07:31 Marissio, I'm just wondering what you thought of Enzo Fernandez, his potential, and then
07:37 the composition of the midfield. Obviously you're looking for a number six. Did today
07:42 show, as enjoyable a game as it was for the neutral, that there is some solidity needed
07:46 in the midfield as well?
07:48 I don't know because it's a very long question but what...
07:53 Enzo Fernandez.
07:55 Was good, was very good.
07:57 And the midfield, do you think there needs some solidity in there?
08:01 Do we need...
08:02 Solidity, strength.
08:03 Today the team showed only we concede one shoot on target and we concede a goal. We
08:09 are agree, again Liverpool, and I think the team was solid. We need good players, yes.
08:17 We need to improve the squad, yes. But that, you know, is not new. We are working really
08:23 hard and so happy in the way that we are working with Lawrence and Pauls and of course the
08:28 owner. And for sure we are going to improve the squad. It's about to find, you know, the
08:35 right profile, the right player to create a combination that we are going to be maybe
08:41 more solid. But the team was solid. We concede only one shoot on target, again Liverpool.
08:48 I think, I don't know, we can be more solid than 100 minutes that we played today, no?
08:55 But for sure we need to create more chances. We need to create more chances to have the
09:03 capacity maybe to score more goals. But I think it's the first step. I think we are
09:08 in a very good way. I am so pleased and now we cannot wait Tuesday to start again the
09:14 week to start to push the players to improve.
09:17 Thank you very much.