Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle: Mauricio Pochettino says 'tough' squad decisions must be made

1 year ago 21

Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson celebrates his extremity against Newcastle

Chelsea brag Mauricio Pochettino says helium indispensable marque pugnacious decisions arsenic helium aims to trim his "massive squad" aft a pre-season gully with Newcastle.

The Blues, who took 29 players to the United States, played retired a 1-1 gully successful beforehand of much than 70,000 successful Atlanta.

Miguel Almiron cancelled retired Chelsea summertime signing Nicolas Jackson's 12th-minute opener.

But Pochettino said helium wanted to trim the squad earlier their Premier League opener against Liverpool connected 13 August.

He added that morale could beryllium affected if their were galore players successful the squad not getting regular crippled time.

"At the infinitesimal the dynamic is precise good, truly bully guys and they are sharing the clip together," Pochettino said.

"It is hard due to the fact that sometimes successful each crippled three, four, 5 players cannot play and that is hard due to the fact that the temper is difficult.

"It is astir creating a squad with bully equilibrium and radical who person the accidental to play and tin vie for their place.

"That is simply a large occupation and situation for america successful the transportation model to physique a bully narration and bully balance. Then, if players are not blessed due to the fact that they judge they are not going to play, we are going to find a solution with the nine and hole the situation.

"What we cannot person is simply a monolithic squad, players not beryllium progressive and past it's going to make a messiness successful the squad. Maybe little is much and much is less, it is not mathematic. That is wherefore I request to marque wide we don't request a large squad.

"We request 22, 23, 24 players with immoderate younger and that's it. I americium truthful atrocious due to the fact that possibly the determination volition beryllium pugnacious but we request to physique a bully and a balanced squad who privation to vie for things."

Chelsea had an inflated squad past play aft spending £600m implicit the erstwhile 2 transportation windows.

Since being successful the United States, defenders Marc Cucurella and Reece James person spoken astir the antagonistic effect that had connected the players.

"Players that volition beryllium present adjacent play request to beryllium happy," Pochettino said.

"If they judge they request to beryllium successful the starting 11 and they are not going to judge being connected the seat due to the fact that of the manager - Chelsea wage maine to take 11 players - it is amended they speech from now.

"We request to halt reasoning 'I travel present to play'. No, 'I travel present to assistance the nine to execute what we privation and past I request to person the coaching unit that I merit to play'.

"That is wherefore ever it is important to person the close players, the close equilibrium and past judge what is going on."

In Atlanta, the Blues took 12th-minute pb against Newcastle done summertime signing Jackson.

Ian Maatsen, who returned from his indebtedness astatine Burnley wherever helium helped them to triumph the Championship rubric past season, played successful the striker#, who finished calmly past Martin Dubravka.

Newcastle drew level conscionable earlier fractional clip erstwhile Miguel Almiron, playing successful the location stadium of Atlanta United the squad helium near to articulation Newcastle, curled the shot into the acold country with an fantabulous decorativeness past Kepa aft Cucurella missed his interception.

Ben Chilwell astir snatched a triumph for Chelsea successful added clip but his changeable from the borderline of the country was superbly saved by Nick Pope.

How to travel Chelsea connected the BBC banner