Mauricio Pochettino 'trusted' by squad as fight to ensure Chelsea future ramps up
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Benoit Badiashile has stated that the Chelsea squad “trusts” manager Mauricio Pochettino as they build momentum in the race for Europe.
The Argentine oversaw a 5-0 demolition of West Ham on Sunday but is believed to need European qualification to guarantee his future at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino has highlighted how injuries and his squad’s youthful nature have made it hard to meet the club’s expectations, but he has received little reassurance from the Chelsea co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
However, back-to-back home London derby wins, including the comfortable 2-0 beating of Tottenham last week, have improved his chances of staying next season.
When asked if the squad wants Pochettino to stay, Badiashile said: “Of course, of course. The team is behind him.
“The coach has made us confident with this setup. It is helping us a lot, and we have to continue like this. I think you can see it from this game, we played a great game and we trust him.”
Badiashile, 23, is one of the young players who struggled earlier in the season but, like Marc Cucurella, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Noni Madueke, has entered a rich vein of form in recent weeks.
Chelsea now believe they have momentum as they hunt down rivals Newcastle and Manchester United in the race to qualify for either the Europa League or Conference League.
“We have to believe, we still have four more games to go,” Badiashile added. “I think we can do a great thing at the end of the season.
“We will try to be sixth, but we must first believe and see what happens afterwards. We are in a great moment, we have to keep going and perform like this every week.”
He added about his own form: “I think my confidence is higher now. I feel like my teammates and the coach trust in me. It helps me a lot.”
Chelsea’s momentum is improved further by a number of players returning from injuries. Thiago Silva made the starting line-up on Sunday with Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi back on the bench.
Silva is, however, playing his final matches for Chelsea after announcing he will leave the club in the summer.
“Thiago is a great player and we all know how great he is,” Badiashile continued. “It will be a great miss for us but we have to continue to work. That’s life, we have to continue.
“You can see that when I play with him, I am more confident, but I have to try to be the same player without him because he can’t be with me throughout my career.
“He has helped me a lot, but I will try to do my best without him.”
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