Mauricio Pochettino says he is “desperate” to lift trophies at Chelsea after leading them to a Carabao Cup final with a stunning win over Middlesbrough.
Pochettino, who won three trophies while coaching PSG, is still waiting for his first major honor in English football. However, he was full of optimism as Chelsea recovered from a 1-0 deficit in the first leg of their semi-final against the Championship side at Stamford Bridge.
The victory gave Chelsea their first finals appearance under Todd Boley-Clearlake Capital and gave Pochettino the chance to win something in his first season in charge. Liverpool or Fulham are waiting for the final.
“I’m very eager to win a championship here,” the coach said. “We won three trophies in a year and a half in Paris and we want to win here. I am very hungry to win. It is really important for us. We will have Fulham or Liverpool, two amazing teams. Amazing team, but now is the time to believe we can win. This is an important step.”
Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea to prepare for Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Aston Villa, arguing reaching the final will boost his side’s confidence. “This is a young team with this experience, going to Wembley we will build our trust, our confidence and our mentality,” he said.
“The mentality at the club is amazing, the culture is winning, but we are a new team. We need to build trust and feel what it means to go to Wembley and play in the final.”
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Pochettino substituted Mihailo Mudric at half-time as he feared the winger would receive a second yellow card. “If you watch the game, he gets a yellow card,” the Argentine said. “One move at the end of the first half was too risky. If he touched the opponent, he would get a second yellow card and we didn’t want to take the risk. There was no need to risk him playing. That’s why we changed him.”
