Mauricio Pochettino has admitted Chelsea are ‘not in the place’ they wanted to be after a challenging first season at the club.
Chelsea are ninth in the Premier League table and six points adrift of the European places, following a 5-0 hammering at Arsenal in midweek.
It continues a turbulent period for the club who ended last season 12th, their lowest league finish since 1994, despite record-breaking spending in recent transfer windows.
Pochettino admits Chelsea have underperformed this season, though says the squad are together in their bid to turn results around.
“No it’s not testing me. It’s testing everyone in the club,” Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Aston Villa tomorrow.
“I was at different clubs, different periods, different circumstances and of course the circumstances are not easy to deal and manage and we are not in the place we wanted to be but we keep positive and try to help the team to perform.
“We talk about being together and having a big squad, trying to be together. it’s another thing we have to deal with. we need to be positive. The only way to move forward is to be positive, never give up, we are pushing them and trying to get the best in the period we have.”
Chelsea take on an Aston Villa team flying high in the Premier League this season with The Villans targeting a top-four finish and Champions League qualification. Pochettino praised the job Unai Emery has done with the Midlands outfit and labelled the Spaniard one of the best coaches in the game.
“A top manager needs a top running session to trust and to provide the tools to perform. For me, I know his career, very well because he’s from Spain. He’s a top, top coach and for me he is one of the best. It’s difficult to say who is the best coach, but I think he is top, for sure.”
