Maurichio Pochettino shares what Chelsea must deal with at Goodison Park, drops ‘aggressive’ Everton verdict
Mauricio Pochettino warned his underperforming Chelsea side they must deal with a “really tough atmosphere” at Goodison Park and an “aggressive” Everton side when the sides meet on Sunday (10 December).
Chelsea have underwhelmed this season and were beaten 2-1 at Manchester United on Wednesday, meaning they have now lost more games than they have won in the Premier League through 15 matches (6L, 5W).
Indeed, Everton would be above Chelsea in the league were it not for the controversial 10-point deduction handed out for a breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
And Pochttino, speaking at a news conference in quotes reported by Football London (8 December), knows the passionate home ground will makes life tough for Chelsea this weekend.
“In adversity you can build something special in all the areas of the club. It will revive everyone to feel part of this unfair decision and make stronger,” he said.
“We are going to find really tough atmosphere and if you want to perform in Premier League we need to deal with this.
“It is a much different style, they can play in different ways. Always aggressive teams. Like his (Dyche’s) persona, aggressive and brave.
“We are going to find a team that are going to try to press high and can build from back and is also direct. It’s going to be interesting because it’s going to be a massive challenge for us.”
Spot on
In Pochettino’s defence he was talking of “aggressive” almost as a compliment, the Chelsea boss is fully aware the Toffees are going to be full throttle, high energy, and in the face of his side right from the off.
Goodison Park is always a daunting place to go and even more so at the minute with a fanbase, rightly, feeling aggrieved at a punishment that still does not make a great deal of sense.
But, more importantly, on the pitch the team have responded in an excellent manner with back-to-back wins over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United – the latter a hugely impressive 3-0 triumph at Goodison on Thursday (7 December) – moving them out of the relegation zone.
Dyche does not have a particularly good record over Chelsea, beating them just once in 16 games as a manager, but right now it feels like the momentum is with Everton and against Chelsea. There is a real opportunity here for Everton and Pochettino knows it.
In other Everton news, Sky Sports have been branded an “absolute disgrace” over “dangerous” coverage of the Toffees v Newcastle.