Mauricio Pochettino has called for patience and trust from Chelsea fans ahead of the Premier League season finale.
The Blues can round off a recovery season by finishing as high as fifth, should Tottenham slip up at Sheffield United.
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It marks a significant improvement from their 12th-placed finish of last season and it looks like the former Argentina international is finally starting to get a tune out of his players.
They have won their last four games in the top flight and are playing fluent football on the pitch under Pochettino’s guidance.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “After the game it’s natural, things happen, will come, if not its not a problem. I’m going to show my respect to the fans. We always try to be very respectful.
“We understand very well in this business that the fans are the best things at a football club and they are entitled to give their opinions in different ways.
“You need to respect. We are here because of them.
“They [the fans] need to trust in us. The only way that they can trust in us is the results because the process and work we are doing inside is difficult for them to analyse because they don’t know what we are doing every single day.
“Even the social media is being nice to me” 😆
Mauricio Pochettino is asked about what reaction he is expecting from the Chelsea fans after the final game against Bournemouth on Sunday 🔵 pic.twitter.com/4kg43LipMr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 17, 2024
“It’s important to have the backing of the owners, they are the bosses. It is the best for the club, the players and for the fans.
“We know very well that coaches are always judged about the result in a very short period.”
Chelsea will likely be competing alongside Tottenham in the Europa League next season, a competition the Blues have had past success in.
Pochettino admitted it is hugely important for the club to be playing in a European competition, but admits it will be hard to beat Bournemouth on the final day.
He added: “It’s really important to finish in the way that we are doing now and I think with confidence and way we were playing in last few months.
“It is really important for team, for the players, for the club to be close to achieving one of our objectives – to play in Europe next season.
“I think the most important now is continuing to perform try to be sure we are going to compete in best way.
“It’s going to be a really tough game because Bournemouth are doing so well.”
