Pochettino: 'It's better for Chelsea to lose than to play badly and win'

Coach Mauricio Pochettino affirmed that Chelsea played well in the 1-3 loss at West Ham in the second round of the Premier League and will soon have their first win of the season.

"It's worrying when the result doesn't match the performance," Pochettino said after the defeat at the Olympic Stadium on August 20. "But if Chelsea played badly and won, I would be more worried. Because then you will lose quickly and you need to find a way to improve your performance."

Pochettino directs Chelsea's 1-3 loss to West Ham on August 20. Photo: Chelsea FC

In yesterday's London derby, West Ham started the game with aplomb and opened the scoring in the 7th minute thanks to Nayef Aguerd's header to the near post. Chelsea regained control in the second half and equalized with a powerful shot from inside the box by Carney Chukwuemeka. In the 43rd minute, the visitors were awarded a penalty when Raheem Sterling broke through the box and was brought down by Tomas Soucek. But on the 11m mark, midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who cost 135.5 million USD, shot to the left corner and was blocked by Alphonse Areola.

Having escaped defeat, West Ham played explosively in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Michail Antonio bravely beat Levi Colwill and then shot diagonally beyond the reach of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. In the fifth minute of injury time, Lucas Paqueta scored a penalty to seal a 3-1 victory. Before that, the most expensive player in Premier League history, Moises Caicedo, made a mistake when he brought down Emerson in the penalty area.

According to Pochettino, Chelsea are still playing well despite not winning their first two games: drawing 1-1 at home with Liverpool and then losing at West Ham. "I like to start this way, showing good form, good attitude because Chelsea dominated Liverpool and West Ham," he said. "That's the foundation for the future. With the quality of this team, it's just a matter of time until we find the best balance, scoring goals and winning."

The Argentine coach also admitted that Chelsea started each half poorly, allowing West Ham to create many opportunities and considered Fernandez's missed penalty as a turning point. "I'm disappointed but this is just the beginning," Pochettino emphasized. "We need to accept defeat, continue to work and believe in this process. I think Chelsea will be stronger and really competitive."

Pochettino also defended Caicedo, saying he played well despite the foul that led to the penalty at the end of the match. The midfielder, bought for $146 million from Brighton, replaced Ben Chilwell in the 61st minute, had 49 touches, completed 84% of his passes, made no key passes, missed the post once, committed two fouls and lost possession eight times.

In the earliest match of round three of the Premier League on the evening of August 25, Chelsea returned to Stamford Bridge to welcome newcomer Luton Town.

Hong Duy

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