Poch’s hits & missus
BLUES BOSS ADMITS: WIN OR LOSE, I TRY TO STAY CALM... BUT I WORRY ABOUT MY WIFE!
MAURICIO POCHETTINO insists he has not been like a bear with a sore head at home during Chelsea’s difficult start to the season.
And perhaps he might have been earlier in his career when faced with a similarly frustrating situation.
But the Stamford Bridge boss, 51, reckons the same cannot be said of his wife Karina, who has evidently been left feeling as blue as Chelsea’s home shirt following some matches.
Asked what Mrs P would say about his mood when his teams are not doing so well, the Argentinian, laughing, affected emotionally too said: “You need to ask me much as in the past. Even how is my wife, not ask my when we win, we are calm. wife how I am. “And when things are not “I need to calm my wife.” so good, we keep calm also.” So she did not suddenly Pochettino played under see a different man on experienced managers at Thursday morning after the club and international level, previous night’s Carabao Cup such as Marcelo Bielsa and victory over Brighton? former France midfielder
“Why, because we won?”, Luis Hernandez. he asked. “No. ‘I try to keep But, even so, Now my balance calm. I hope my he knows every is much better wife’s happy with situation is than in the past, my behaviour’ different and 10 years ago. insists there is
“I am more mature now, I no blueprint he can look at to try to keep calm. I hope my help him handle Chelsea’s wife is happy with my situation. behaviour now. He added: “All different
“As a coaching staff, we are managers have different more mature now. We are not books, different methods. No one is the best to apply as, in football, it is difficult to repeat the same situation.
“And it is always tricky because if you win, it was an amazing decision, but if you lose, you are wrong.”
One situation at another club that is proving a hot topic is Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s insistence that he has two No.1s in David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale.
It is a break from tradition and although Robert Sanchez, signed from Brighton in the summer, is clearly defined as the Blues’ No.1, Poch has had to deal with a similar situation.
He said: “When I was in Paris, I had two top keepers
in Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas. So it depends. It depends on the profile and characteristics of the players, professionally and personally.
“What I prefer is to have the best players, who can be compatible between them also. But it’s always good for every single club to have defined who is the No.1.
“And then it’s about how the player who is not going to play accepts being No.2.
“We used to play two games and two games, to play Donnarumma and then Navas. That can happen.
“It is possible, but dangerous? Yes. Is it good or bad? It depends on the result.”