POCH: IF YOU DON’T THINK I’M SPECIAL.. TELL THE OWNER

Mauricio shrugs off growing rumours of Mourinho return

MAURICIO POCHETTINO says his players should complain to Chelsea owners if they think another coach could do a better job.

But defiant Pochettino is convinced he still has the full support of the dressing room and will not be walking away any time soon.

Blues fans have been heard singing Jose Mourinho’s name recently but Pochettino does not believe comparisons with the Special One are fair.

He said: “Look, I respect Jose, he is my friend. He was amazing for this club, his medals here are amazing. If the players believe that with another coach they can do better... maybe they can talk with the owner. Do you see me worried about this? No.

“Is it a problem of attitude? No. “Is it a problem? No.

“You can see in the way that they behave that they are behind us. There is no doubt.”

Mourinho (below), a free agent after leaving Roma and who has been spotted in Cobham recently, won seven major trophies in two spells at Chelsea.

But Pochettino, whose side face Newcastle tonight, insists it is unfair to compare the two eras because this Chelsea team is rebuilding.

He said: “It is a different project, today is a different Chelsea.

“If you are going to judge us compared to the past of Chelsea, no one is going to win. People need to understand.

“It is completely unfair to compare different periods of the club. The circumstances are different today than in the past.

“I knew it was going to be tough when I came here but I always knew we would need time and belief. The project is to build a new team and to do that you need time.”

Asked whether he would ever quit the project, Pochettino said: “Ah, no no no. Never.”

“We love a challenge and here the challenge is massive. We accepted it knowing it is never easy because you are Chelsea and you need to win even if you have a young team.

“It is important not to compare with the past as you are always going to lose, it is impossible. I hope that the people understand these things.”

Chelsea are only a place behind Newcastle in the Premier League table but trail them by four points. Tonight’s meeting with Eddie Howe’s side at Stamford Bridge will be Chelsea’s first league outing in front of their own fans since they were jeered off at the end of a 4-2 defeat by

Wolves a month ago. After Newcastle comes an FA

Cup quarter-final at home to Leicester next Sunday as the Blues chase their last hope of salvaging a bleak season.

But Pochettino, whose side were held 2-2 at Brentford (left) last time out, refused to look ahead, pointing instead to the need for players returning from injury to reacclimatise, particularly after Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill joined an already lengthy absentee list. “The most important thing is Monday,” he said. “I don’t want to think about Leicester. We’re working hard to see how we’re going to provide balance to the team with players coming back from injury, like (Marc) Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah.”