Mauricio Pochettino admitted that Chelsea “gave up” after Arsenal made a dominant 5-0 win on Tuesday.
Pochettino, who refused to fault his players for their performances at the Emeorate, said that even the most talented players do have a bad days.
The game began when Leandro Trossard scored early in the fourth minute and was followed by four quick goals within 18 minutes of the second half through Ben White and Kai Havertz, who each netted two times leading to Chelsea’s biggest loss in London derby since March 1986.
“We spoke at halftime about how outrageous this start was,” said Pochettino. “We still kept repeating our mistakes when the second half started. After we conceded two goals too quickly. The match disappeared from our hands.”
When asked if he questioned the character of his players after capitulating under the pressure, Pochettino responded, “It’s not about being tough. I have been on teams with [Diego] Maradona, Ronaldinho, and [Gabriel] Batistuta as their teammates. A campaign during which even seasoned athletes are confronted by obstacles of this nature is not strange; sometimes it NNfeels like even the most talented among us will ’crumble.’”
The absence of Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez exposed Chelsea’s Premier League slip.
Pochettino said, “Sometimes it is the opponent, sometimes it is our own energy and sometime just tide of the game which is against us and there are no positives to look at.”
Arsenal now sit atop of the Premier League table with four points clear of Manchester City, who have played two games less, and Liverpool with three points, who are yet to plwy their
Meanwhile, Chelsea could miss out of European football after their eleventh loss of the season.
The Blues manager added: “We can play really well as we showed but within one week we can turn into quite different individuals. Our consistency drops when we play badly. It is clear that on our better days, there is no limit to what we can do here in good days; however, our baseline result has got to go up.”
Arteta, who has referred to Pochettino as a mentor since their time together at Paris Saint-Germain said, “My deepest condolences to him because of all he has been through and what he has achieved. He knows this too. I have gone through the same struggles. He is doing a great job leading the team; if you analyze their games they deserve to win even against strong competitors. He’s putting in good work and his good luck will come soon”
Chelsea will face Aston Villa on Saturday, before Arsenal take on their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
“We are waiting for Liverpool and Manchester City results. We have a tough run ahead of us. Let’s enjoy today’s win and get back to our duties,” Arteta added.