Mauricio Pochettino Admits Chelsea Lost Motivation In 5-0 Defeat To Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged that his Chelsea team appeared to lose motivation during their significant loss to Arsenal in the Premier League. Despite the heavy defeat at the Emirates Stadium, Pochettino refrained from attributing blame to his players for the collapse.

Arsenal achieved their biggest-ever win over rivals Chelsea with a commanding 5-0 victory, propelling them three points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.

The match proved to be a humiliating affair for Chelsea, as Kai Havertz netted twice against his former club, and Pochettino’s squad struggled in the absence of their leading goal-scorer, Cole Palmer.

The loss prompted further speculation regarding Pochettino’s tenure at the club. However, the Argentine attributed the disappointing performance to the “inconsistency” of his young team. This defeat followed closely on the heels of a match where they arguably outperformed Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.

“It’s not difficult to explain,” Pochettino told the BBC. “Everyone saw we didn’t compete from the beginning of the game. After we conceded I think the team was so soft. I’m so disappointed with the start because we’re supposed to have full energy and compete better. We were not aggressive and we did not concentrate in situations where it is easy to find the solution. That is why we’re so disappointed.

He continued, “We were talking at half-time to start differently. But we started badly. In 10, 15 minutes in the second half, when we conceded the third goal we gave up. It was tough on them until the end of the game.”

After conceding an early goal to Leandro Trossard, Chelsea had opportunities to draw level before halftime. However, they suffered a setback after the break conceding two quick goals to Ben White and Havertz. White Havertz found the net once more as Arsenal moved three points clear at the of the Premier League.

“We competed well against Manchester City, it was a fantastic game. But then we did not compete three days later. Maybe we were not fresh,” Pochettino said. “It’s not fair to talk about the players we are missing. From the start of the season, we have been missing so many players every single week. One team is competing in the Premier League. The other team is competing with all the circumstances we have. The team showed a lack of capacity to resist, that is what is the problem”.

“Arsenal is a very good team. But I think we allowed them to play. We have all the possibility to play and create chances [to them]. That is why we’re so disappointed. In some parts of the game, it was an even game. But we’re too inconsistent.” He said.

Pochettino emphasized that he did not feel “embarrassed” by the scoreline and stressed that Chelsea require more time before they can challenge Mikel Arteta’s team.

“I’m not going to blame the players, young guys. It’s the circumstances that are bigger than the players,” he said. “We need to be careful, we can be unhappy with our performance but I am not going to use a word [like embarrassed] that is unfair to the players in our squad.”