Pochettino accepts Chelsea future ‘not in my hands’

Mauricio Pochettino believes he still has the backing of Chelsea’s owners after defeat by Liverpool in the League Cup final but accepts his future at Stamford Bridge is “out of my hands”.

The under-pressure Argentine said he had had constructive conversations with Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali following Sunday’s 1-0 extra-time defeat at Wembley.

The loss led to renewed criticism of Pochettino and his expensively assembled squad, with former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, now a TV pundit, accusing Chelsea of being nothing more than a “blue billion-pound bottle-job”. 

Chelsea, a mediocre 11th in the Premier League, will seek to revive their season at home to Leeds in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.

“I said hello to the owners when I saw them in the stadium and after (the final) I met Behdad and we were talking,” Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“We were sharing our opinions about the game and the opportunity we missed to win a trophy because I think we played really well during the 90 minutes.

“We created the best chances, we were not clinical enough but that is what has happened since the beginning of the season.

“They (the owners) showed their support and after the game, Todd sent a nice message.”

Pochettino, when asked if he would be given time to transform Chelsea’s fortunes, replied: “It’s not in my hands. We have a very good relationship with the owners, with the sporting director.

“It’s up to them to trust or not. It’s not the coach’s decision.”

In a fresh blow for the club, injury-ravaged France international Christopher Nkunku is set to spend up to a month on the sidelines with an unspecified injury sustained at the weekend.