Pochettino reckons his side’s attitude is changing for the better ahead of Carabao Cup final v Liverpool: ‘You cannot buy victories, you cannot buy trophies’

By Matthew Ferris at Cobham

Mauricio Pochettino believes that attitudes “are changing” within his Chelsea team, and emphasized how winning the League Cup tomorrow could help continue to progress his project at the club.

In what has been a season of spectacular ups and downs, with the latter outweighing the former, a chance to win some silverware at Wembley would provide some much-needed balance to the scales.

When asked about Axel Disasi’s passionate celebrations (surprisingly not his crowd surfing at Selhurst Park) after his blocks and clearances against Manchester City at the Ethiad, Pochettino said: “Look at the things that are changing; that is a good question.

“[Did] you see at the beginning of the season this type of celebration with the players? To celebrate, to encourage, that is the process of new teams, to build this spirit and competitiveness is a good thing.”

He used the analogy of “a seed that starts to grow” when speaking about his team, and there was a hint of a smile on his face as he spoke about the transformations that he thinks are taking place in his squad.

Pochettino has been banging the ‘project’ drum in almost every pre-match press conference this season, and at times has pleaded with the media room to have patience while his players grow with the experiences of different in-game situations.

One of the main criticisms at times this season has been the lack of progress within the so called ‘project’; yes, injuries have prevented Pochettino from playing his best team regularly (and they continue to do so), but consecutive wins have been as rare as the holy grail because of the inconsistency in performances and patterns of play.

But is it now right to trust Pochettino’s assessment that times are changing?

Ever since the Wolves defeat that felt like the beginning of the end, a brilliant night at Aston Villa, followed by a result that meant more than the performance at Palace, and a performance that meant more than the result at Manchester City, there has undoubtedly been a mood shift.

Naturally, wins do this, but the wild celebrations against Palace and a different sort of togetherness on display at the Ethiad does give some weight to what Pochettino is saying.

However, one would be a fool to believe that a stormy season will finally be met with a relaxing, calm finish to it.  

About this shift, Pochettino said: “We were talking from the beginning of the season that we need a team to match the mentality of this football club, winning titles I think is going to be a good way to arrive in this capacity to be strong in how you compete; I think yes for me it’s important [to win] to create a winning mentality [because] you know it’s about to compete and to win.”

When questioned whether a win on Sunday would silence the critics who mention the one billion pounds spent by the club, he said: “You cannot buy victories, you cannot buy trophies, that is the most important thing.”

Pochettino was also asked about his first final with Tottenham that was against Chelsea in the 2014/15 season, and whether he feels a difference in pressure on this occasion.

“No not really, I don’t feel the pressure in a personal way, no.

“I am not this type of person or coach [that thinks like this], last night I was walking with my wife in London and enjoying the walk and talking.

“I don’t change my habit because we are going to play a final, I feel really relaxed because I think we trust in ourselves because we trust in the team, in the people that are going to be behind the team to create a very good atmosphere and energy.”

There seems to be an added steeliness to Pochettino in recent weeks; his warning to the referees was not in line with usual character but it was a welcome shift in mentality, and his perception of his team has clearly changed, whether justified or not.  

Tomorrow’s match provides a golden opportunity to show evidence of the most credible reason so far to trust in the Pochettino process, and could mark the beginning of The Blues dragging themselves out of the wilderness of mediocrity that they had begun to linger in.