Mauricio Pochettino says he is paying no attention to the criticism he receives online and even in text messages and phone calls as he tries to lead Chelsea up the Premier League table.
Chelsea lie 10th having won just five of their first 14 league matches this season, and travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday to face a Manchester United team which has also underachieved relative to vast financial resources and lofty pre-season expectations.
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These struggles have led to Chelsea and United players attracting fierce criticism from supporters and the media. Speaking in a press conference ahead of the game, Pochettino revealed he is a target too, but added that he simply tunes out any negativity.
“I am the first to feel the criticism – believe me!” Chelsea’s head coach said. “I received criticism in social media, the media, through my emails, through direct messages and calls – come on! We are the first to feel that, but at the same time, you cannot pay attention to this.
“Today, it is so easy to be visible and then after, it is about paying attention or not. If you want to pay attention, it is easy to find the negative or positive, you always have both. That’s why it is best not to pay attention. Today, it is the life we are all living as it is not only in sport, but also in different areas. We need to be careful in how we deal with this.”
Pochettino also explained how he creates a positive environment for his Chelsea squad at Cobham – but warned that his players must be able to accept criticism to thrive under him.
“It’s being natural,” he added. “With players it is not a line like this, that always the player is happy with me or us. Sometimes the players are so happy with me, sometimes the feeling is not so good. We are warm but we are tough. Sometimes people don’t want the truth. But if we want the best sometimes we need to tell the truth. Sometimes the truth is not what people want.
“Players are the same. If players make a mistake we tell them. We’re tough. They don’t accept? OK. Maybe we are not too nice or warm with them. Sometimes it is the only way for them to realise and improve. In time they realise we always want the best for them. That is why sometimes we are tough.
“But sometimes you need to be nice because it is different characters or people who need more affection and they can learn with affection. Some players cannot learn with affection and we need to be tough.”
(Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
