Mauricio Pochettino names three clubs Chelsea should follow in order to succeed
- Chelsea endured disastrous 2022/23 season in which they finished 12th in Premier League
- Mauricio Pochettino brought in as new head coach over summer
- Former Tottenham boss has outlined plans for short-term and long-term success
By Sean Walsh
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has insisted he is targeting immediate success at the club, but stressed that he needs time to build a base to work from.
The west Londoners are entering their second full season under the ownership of Todd Boehly and BlueCo, heading into the new campaign off the back of a totally disastrous one.
The Blues cycled their way through four managers and finished a lowly 12th - their worst return since the 1993/94 season.
They have turned to former Tottenham Hotspur manager Pochettino to help dig them out of such a mess. The Argentine is currently unbeaten in his five pre-season matches in charge.
Speaking to the Evening Standard at the conclusion of their tour of the United States, Pochettino outlined that Chelsea should consider following the examples of Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid in formulating long-term plans to succeed.
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"You cannot win if you do not build," Pochettino warned. "You can bring in names and players…there are some exceptions but in general all the clubs who win in the end.
"Liverpool won after many years working hard and being consistent, [Manchester] City the same after seven or eight years with Pep [Guardiola], and Real Madrid also.
"That is important to understand, the clubs who win are the teams who are more consistent, working hard to make a plan to win. Our job is to provide the team with stability [during] ups and downs, to behave in the same way.
"We need to have a plan if we want to arrive there. If we arrive before, perfect. But, if not, we know we are going to arrive at our destination. That is so important. I know how difficult it is to build a squad to have the possibility to compete again with big sides. But we are building something special."
Pochettino did, however, acknowledge that Chelsea must be prepared to succeed immediately and he cannot simply ask for more time to deliver.
"It is a process that needs time, but in football you can't ask for time. We know we need to deliver now. My message to everyone here is: 'We are at Chelsea and we need to win. Today, not tomorrow'," he added.
Chelsea kick off their Premier League season at home to Liverpool on Sunday 13 August.
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