Mauricio Pochettino: Didier Drogba Throws Weight Behind Embattled Chelsea Squad

Mauricio Pochettino: Didier Drogba Throws Weight Behind Embattled Chelsea Squad

Martin Moses
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM
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  • Didier Drogba has backed Chelsea's young squad to return to glory soon
  • Mauricio Pochettino has struggled to churn out results since his appointment
  • Chelsea has the youngest squad in the English Premier League this season

Didier Drogba has resoundingly backed Mauricio Pochettino's side to turn around the fortunes of Chelsea even as a section of fans continue to call for his dismissal.

Chelsea lost 4-2 to Wolves over the weekend to slump back into the bottom half of the table, prompting questions on whether the club had made any steps under the Argentine manager.

Mauricio Pochettino, Didier Drogba, Chelsea
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino on the touchline during their game against Wolves on February 4. Photo by Alex Pantling.
Source: Getty Images

A quick look at statistics shows that the club was in the same place at this point last season under Graham Potter before the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager was sacked in early April.

The Blues have already lost 10 Premier League games this season, one less than the ones they have won. To put into perspective, they are closer to the relegation places than Champions League places.

As it stands, their only realistic chance of making it back to European football next season is if they win the Carabao Cup. They play Liverpool in the final on February 25.

Drogba: Give Chelsea time

Club legend Drogba has thrown his weight behind the young squad, calling for them to be given time.

"I think they’ve got good strikers. I think it’s not an easy moment for the club, but they have my support and trust because Chelsea is still Chelsea," he told Sky Sports.

The Ivorian legend reminisced the days of former owner Roman Abramovich, hoping the current owners will realise the same success.

"Give them time, and when they reach their peak, people will be like, 'Wow, this is the new generation, the best team Chelsea ever had!' It’s just a matter of time. I hope the vision will be quite similar to what we had when Roman Abramovich took the club."

Pochettino is now in a rush against time to get consistent results. They play Aston Villa on February 7 in the FA Cup replay before playing Crystal Palace. Afterwards, it is a set of tricky fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool (Carabao Cup), Brentford, Newcastle United, and Arsenal.

Belle Silva apologises

Sports Brief had also reported that Belle Silva has apologised after appearing to call for the sacking of Pochettino.

Thiago Silva's wife took to X to ask the club to 'make the changes before it was too late' after their 4-2 loss to Wolves on February 4.

Pochettino had earlier disclosed that he had held clear-the-air talks with the Brazilian centre-back.

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Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)