Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has used Zinedine Zidane’s move to Real Madrid in 2001 from Juventus as a cautionary tale to supporters worrying about some of the club’s under performers. The Blues have undergone a drastic revamp in their playing squad over the past 12 months Thiago Silva, Reece James and Ben Chilwell the only senior players at the club before the takeover to survive the cull.
But the first season under Todd Boehly’s guideship proved to be a disaster with both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter losing their jobs. Record sums were spent on dozens of players with many struggling to live up to expectations.
Similar questions are being asked of the players Chelsea signed this summer, but Pochettino has urged for patience and to give his young squad a chance to prove themselves. He said: “When you arrive at Chelsea as a player or coaching staff what do people expect? To win and win trophies and to perform and to score.
“But now we have a squad that is young and some players who are of course a big investment for the club. We need to know they are young, they need to adapt and the circumstances from which they came.
“It’s not fair to assess, ‘Okay, one game, two games, three games, they’re not performing and we paid money and they need to perform like this…’ I always use the same example: Real Madrid paid around £70million for one player, the name was Zinedine Zidane, an amazing player.
“After six months you could ask the fans, ‘What have we bought?’ And he started to perform after seven, eight months. Zidane was 26, 27 years olds and when you bring a player of 18,19, 20, 21, be careful, they are not machines.
Don’t miss…
Chelsea star Reece James return pushed back as injury woes deepen for Pochettino[LATEST]
Chelsea target Zakharyan gives Boehly verdict after being left ‘in limbo'[LATEST]
Two Chelsea stars blamed for Boehly giving eight-year deals to almost everyone[LATEST]
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
“They need to settle in the circumstances that have happened in last few months — we need to give time. One thing is bad feelings because of results and another is the process, and we’re in a good way.
“We need to recover all the injured players and then for sure we will be very competitive and very tough to play against.” Chelsea do have a long list of absentees from their squad to face Bournemouth today.
Armando Broja, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukquemeka, Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana are currently unavailable due to injury. But Pochettino will be hoping his squad have enough to pick up a much-needed win over the Cherries after losing two of their opening four league games.
Source: Read Full Article