Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, has emphasized the need for his struggling team to improve their clinical finishing in front of goal after a disappointing start to the season.
Chelsea currently sits in 14th place in the Premier League and has scored just five goals in their first five league matches, a tally that only four other teams have fallen short of.
Speaking ahead of their upcoming home match against Aston Villa, Pochettino acknowledged that his team hasn’t been reaping the rewards their performances deserve and admitted that they need to be more ruthless in attack.
“I think we are playing well but in the last few weeks, we need to be more clinical in front of goal, that’s why we don’t have the points we deserve,” Pochettino said.
“I am disappointed because I think many teams with less [possession] score more, and that is why we feel bad, because the players deserve more, the team deserves more.”
Pochettino, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, emphasized that the key to improving their fortunes is to continue playing their style of football and maintain their commitment.
“The only way to find what we want is to keep pushing, keep playing, keep doing the right thing that we’re doing,” he said.
Despite recent poor results, Pochettino praised his players’ reaction after their defeat against Nottingham Forest and last week’s goalless draw with Bournemouth.
“They really care about the club. They really care about winning games,” he added.
Chelsea supporters expressed their displeasure by booing the team after the dull 0-0 draw with Bournemouth. However, Pochettino believes the fans will back the team this weekend at Stamford Bridge.
“I really believe that they are going to be behind us, for sure,” he said. “The players need the support because they need to perform.”
Pochettino also addressed the issue of discipline, particularly concerning striker Nicolas Jackson, who has been booked for dissent four times already this season.
“We’re talking about young players,” said Pochettino. “You can blame us, blame me. We can talk about tactics. But they need time. It’s no doubt we have amazing talent on the team, but now they need time to settle. He needs to be clever not to protest to the referees in this way.”