September 16th 2023.
Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea fans to be patient with their new signings, citing the example of even Zinedine Zidane having endured a slow start when he first joined Real Madrid.
The Blues have only won one of their first four Premier League games, and while their investment of over £1 billion in player acquisitions has been welcomed, some supporters have expressed their worry over the lack of progress on the pitch.
In response, Pochettino reminded everyone that the players they have signed are still young and need time to adapt.
"At Chelsea, the expectation is always massive. People expect the team to win, lift trophies and perform, but it's not fair to assess after one or two games and say a player is not performing," he said.
As an example, Pochettino used Zinedine Zidane, who was bought for £80 million by Real Madrid and yet took 7 or 8 months to adjust to his new team.
"These players are not machines," he went on. "They need to settle in with all the circumstances that have happened in the last few months. We need to give them time."
Overall, the Argentinean coach believes the process is going in the right direction, but the results don't always reflect that.
"We were better than Liverpool and West Ham, and I think we deserved [more]. After five games, if we are talking about 12 points and through to the next round of the Carabao Cup, you'd say it's fantastic - but it hides something.
"We need to recover the injured players and then for sure we will be in a good way, and it will be tough to play against us," he concluded.
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