Mauricio Pochettino fronts up to Chelsea fans' boos in apology for defeat to Wolves

Chelsea suffered back-to-back defeats against Wolves for the first time in 49 years as the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge turns toxic
Nizaar Kinsella4 February 2024

Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to supporters after Chelsea's 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves.

Chelsea were beaten by Matheus Cunha's hat-trick and Axel Disasi's own goal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, which led to the Blues being booed off at half-time and full-time.

Cole Palmer and Thiago Silva scored either side of the visitors' four goals, but it was ultimately another disappointing defeat in an underwhelming season.

The Blues dropped into the bottom half after being leapfrogged by Wolves. They have just 15 league games to push back towards Europe but are now closer to the relegation zone than fifth-placed Tottenham.

Asked about the boos, with supporters having chanted against their own team during the match, Pochettino said: "We apologise to the fans and accept [the situation].

"Because the perception is one thing and the reality is another. The perception is that Chelsea should be in a different position, but for different circumstances, we are not there.

"One reason is maybe we are not good enough. But what can we do? The most important thing now is to feel the responsibility and accept that this is the organisation and the players that we have.

"Of course, the fans need to understand and it is really important. We want to apologise and feel sorry. We are disappointed like them, but until the end, we need to keep fighting together.

"If we want good results in the future, we need to stay together and during the game, work together and try to get the result. After the game, they will be right to criticise or be angry if the performance is not good."

When pressed on whether his players are good enough to match Chelsea's expectations, he continued: "I think we are all not good enough at the moment.

"That's the reality, myself also, as the first one responsible for this situation.

"What we showed today was that we are not good enough - I agree with you 100 per cent. We didn't manage the situation properly and, of course, no one can be safe.

"I don't want to come here to say I am the best and the players are the worst. I think we are all responsible.

"Even the players need to take responsibility like I take responsibility. I agree with you, we do not match the history of the club. It's true and we need to accept our critics.

"But we can't give up, and we are going to work hard to try and change, maybe take some decisions to find a different way; if it is not working this way, we need to move on and try to find a different type of solution."

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