Mauricio Pochettino admits it is ‘difficult to explain’ Chelsea’s defeat against 10-man West Ham… but urges his players to ‘believe in the process’
Mauricio Pochettino admits ‘hard to explain’ Chelsea’s defeat to 10-man West Ham… but urges his players to ‘believe in the process’
- Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea struggled to break down West Ham
- The Blues suffered their first loss of the new season against the Hammers
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Mauricio Pochettino has told his Chelsea players to ‘believe in the process’ after the Blues suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.
The Blues fell behind early on through a header from Nayef Aguerd before goals from Mikhail Antonio and a late penalty from Lucas Paqueta canceled out Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser.
A miserable afternoon for the London Stadium visitors was made even worse when new £115 million summer signing Moises Caicedo conceded a penalty on his debut.
However, Pochettino is not weighed down by the result, despite the Blues now not winning one of their opening two Premier League games.
Analyzing Chelsea’s performance, Pochettino told Sky Sports after the game: “That’s football. Teams like us need to find the right balance. I think there were a few plays today that we didn’t handle well that we admitted.
Chelsea succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday after a mediocre second half
West Ham won 3-1 despite a man being sent off in the second half against Chelsea
“We created a lot of chances and in the first half we did well. We should have won the game with our first half.
“In the second half we conceded another isolated action. Finding the space to create clear chances (is difficult) but in general it is this type of game that is difficult to explain.
“You had possession, you created and maybe you were the better side, but in the end you lose.
Chelsea were frustrated with David Moyes’ side for large periods of the second half as the hosts’ defense bullied Pochettino’s forwards and enjoyed success playing on the counterattack.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino urged his side after the match to ‘believe in the process’
Enzo Fernandez (not pictured) had a penalty saved with the game tied at 1-1
Enzo Fernandez missed a penalty to make it 1-1 as his effort was well saved by Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and Pochettino admitted the penalty drained his side.
“It was the frustration when we miss the penalty. We played well and didn’t get the reward. We kind of started the second half with this belief until we started playing again,” he said.
“We have to be stronger in these situations because we knew West Ham are deep and counter-attacks and set pieces are really dangerous.
“Disappointed, but this is just the beginning. We have to believe in the process. I think we will get stronger and will certainly be very competitive.’