Mauricio Pochettino: 'I want to feel the adrenaline again and fight for big things'

The Argentinian already looks settled at Stamford Bridge, which has seen enormous upheaval over the past 14 months.

SPURRED ON: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino knows he has a big job on his hands. Photo credit: James Manning/PA Wire.

FOOTBALL management is often compared to a roller-coaster ride and the Chelsea job is arguably the most adrenaline-fuelled of them all, with massive highs and lows.

Just ask Thomas Tuchel, sacked within 16 months of making them European and World Champions, or Carlo Ancelotti who was dismissed a year after winning the double.

It is in Chelsea's DNA to chew up and spit out managers, and Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali got through four men in the hot seat last season, their first as new owners heading up the Clearlake consortium.

Mauricio Pochettino is their new man, so it was natural that in his very first press conference, on Friday, he was asked about the short shelf-life that goes with the role, and the potential for shredding his own reputation as a world-class coach.

The Argentinian, who was as combative as anyone when visiting Stamford Bridge in a former life as Tottenham's manager, shot back his answer without hesitation.

“I love the risk. I love to be on the top with the expectations to be here, and I think for me it's a challenge. For me it's a big challenge and I want to feel the adrenaline again, to be there and fight for big things.

“The history of this club is to win trophies and that is I want to do. I want prove myself , always push myself.”

Pochettino already looks settled at Stamford Bridge, which has seen enormous upheaval over the past 14 months, since Roman Abramovich was forced to sell up because of UK government sanctions against Russia.

Under new ownership, Chelsea went rapidly downhill from Club World Cup winners to a laughing stock, burning through managers as they crash-landed in the bottom half of the Premier League despite spending over €600m on new players.

Pochettino during a press conference at Stamford Bridge.

A raft of the bloated squad have already been jettisoned, and more will be shipped out as Pochettino attempts to replicate the turnaround he achieved soon after he first arrived at Tottenham in 2014, clearing out the deadwood and building a young hungry team that would challenge consistently for the Premier League and Champions League.

He knows he has a huge task on his hands, and many pundits are saying it will take at least one transitional season to start challenging again, but Pochettino knows the reality of life at Stamford Bridge. “When you are here at Chelsea, it’s not about asking for time. You need to deliver from day one.

“That is how we are working at the training ground, we need to be competitive now or we are not going to arrive on time. Our aim is to win. We need to create the belief from the beginning, and I think we are going to have a squad of players that can deliver what we expect.”

Given the turmoil and the exodus of experienced players, his team could be excused for not hitting the ground running. But he says: “No excuses.

“I don’t want to make excuses to the players, saying we need time to rebuild, we need time to work, we need this, we need that. No, no excuses. We start to work hard, to drive the way we want. The competition doesn’t wait for anyone and now we are going to start again against Liverpool in our first game to be ready to win. If not we are going to struggle for sure.”

He will take a firm but friendly line with his owners, too. Boehly was criticised for visiting the dressing room after games and Pochettino says he will make it clear who is boss.

“They own the football club and we need to respect that. For me, the owner is more than welcome to come to the dressing room or training ground, but they need to communicate to me, so I know and can prepare. My job is to guide all the people involved in the club, to try to work and perform in the best way.

"For me, I am more than happy if they are close to us, but it is the manager who decides things, how it's going to work, in the dressing room, on the pitch, on the training ground. Along with the sporting director, we create these lines together.”

Pochettino famously had a close relationship with Daniel Levy when he was at Tottenham, but is coy about whether the Spurs owner contacted him when they were looking to replace Antonio Conte earlier this year.

“I don’t want to say anything because all that talk is going to take us back. We still have a good relationship with all the people at Tottenham. I am so proud of my past there. Nobody is going to change the story of when we were there together for nearly six years.”

He takes a similar approach on the question of those Spurs fans unhappy that he has gone to a bitter rival. “I don’t believe those fans will change (their minds). But what can they do? Nothing. For me now it is about being focused on trying to do my job here and build a very good relationship with these fans.”

Chelsea struggled for goals last season and there has been talk of trying to tempt Harry Kane away from Spurs, but Pochettino says it will not happen, at least this summer.

“It’s not fair to talk about players at other clubs, but he is one of the greatest strikers in the world. Fans know my relationship with him was always amazing. I saw him when he was young, grow up and achieve all he was achieving and of course we have a great relationship.

“But at the moment we are thinking in different ways. We are not thinking about him. We are going to add players that can score and we are working on it.”

Pochettino stressed his squad is not yet finalised, in terms of ins and outs, and only once it is will he decide who will replace captain Cesar Azpilicueta, whose departure to Atletico Madrid was announced this week. “The squad is not ready yet, and when it is finished we will see, get a feeling for their character, commitment.”

More than anything he is relishing the chance to prove himself once again in the Premier League after his spell at Paris St Germain.

“I am a much better coach, we are a much better coaching staff because we learned a lot about ourselves in Paris. It was an amazing experience and I hope we can give to Chelsea all our experience and knowledge to put in the benefit of Chelsea FC.

“I am really happy to be here now, and I need to give my best and hope that all together can create again an atmosphere and all the excitement that was in the past in this football club and try to lift trophies – that is our objective.”