Every word Mauricio Pochettino said on Chelsea season, Nkunku hint, future, James dilemma

Mauricio Pochettino conducted his final pre-match press conference of the season on Friday afternoon as his Chelsea side look to cement a place in Europe next term.

The Blues know that sixth-place will be secured if they can avoid defeat and with the off-chance Tottenham lose at Sheffield United, and Pochettino leads his side to victory, then the club will claim fifth-place over their London rivals. Bournemouth, however, stand in Chelsea's way, with the Cherries producing some tremendous form in the second part of the season especially.

There are some potential goodbyes to be had on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge. One farewell we have already had confirmed will be Thiago Silva.

The 39-year-old will return to Fluminense in the summer with the visit of Bournemouth ending his four-year stay in west London. Pochettino was asked about the Brazilian and much more in his pre-match press conference - as you can read in the full transcript below.

Top six is in your hands...

"It’s really important for us to finish in the way we’re doing now, with the confidence and the way we’re playing in the last few months… I think it’s really important for the team, the players and the club to be close to achieving one of the objectives: to play in Europe next season."

Top five?

"The most important thing now is to be seen to perform and trying to compete in the best way. Bournemouth are a tough game and are playing so well, so yes it’s tough. But it’s important to finish well and see, after, if we have the chances to get the place. Being fifth would be amazing for us."

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Want Spurs to lose?

"No, not really. We need to do our job and, after, see what is going on. I never wish bad things to the opponent. Always it’s about us deserving to win and hoping we can take advantage of the situation that gives us the possibility to be in a better place."

Expect to feel a bit of love from the fans at the end of the game?

"Look, I expect nothing. After it’s natural things happen. They’ll come. But if not, it’s not a problem. I’ll show my respect, that’s the most important thing. We always try to be very respectful and we are very respectful. We understand the fans are the best thing a football club can have. That’s why they’re entitled to give their opinion. As a coach, you have to respect them. Even social media now is being nice to me."

They can see something’s beginning to happen?

"No bad feelings. The most important is we are working for the club, working for them, for the owner, for the players, for the fans. The most important thing is to make them happy. That’s the business we’re in. We want to achieve for them. It’s normal.

"We have to respect the opinion of our fans. It’s in us to change the feelings. It’s tough to build a relationship when you have a history. They need to trust in us, but the only way they will is through results. It’s difficult for them to see the work we’re doing inside here. It’s hard for them to analyse and see what we’re doing every day. But we’re showing in front of you in a different way… only we know the way we work. If the results don’t arrive, we are disappointed and frustrated, but that’s why we wanted to change the view and the opinion. Happy the team is showing the fans that they can trust in the team."

Boehly calling for patience…

"Yes, yes, always it’s important to have the backing of the owners. In the end they are the bosses. Of course, because it’s the best for the club. For the players and for the fans. Then we know very well that coaches always… we are judged on the results in a very short period. But yes, I think it’s important to feel the backing of the owners."

What needs to be done in the summer?

"That is a talk we will do with the sporting directors and the owners will be involved, to see how we can. Football is a very dynamic sport and things can change. We are working for the summer and preseason and to prepare in the best way."

The season?

"Because of the circumstances it was tougher than we thought. At the same time, you can’t manage the circumstances. Its’ not in your hands. But the way we’ve finished the season, I’m happy about that. It’s unlucky because you feel disappointed that, one or two months more, we could have finished closer to the competition. But this gives us the hope to start well and strongly next season, with the capacity from the beginning of the season, to have the possibility to fight for big things."

VAR vote?

"I’m not involved in this process. My opinion is I like the VAR, but we have to improve the way we use it. That is the key. We need to be open and welcome new technology. It’s good for football. The thing we need to do is decide how we use it."

Hutchinson back… spoken to him?

"I saw a few players who arrived but, at the moment, we’re focusing on finishing on Sunday and then we have a few days to speak with the sporting directors to talk about the players."

You’re misquoted by the press sometimes…

"Maybe that’s down to me. Sometimes I listen back to my press conferences and even my wife says she doesn’t know what I meant."

Do you feel the players are playing the style you want to play?

"For me, I am so respectful. If you look at me at Espanyol, Tottenham and PSG, the most important for me is the club. The team is Chelsea, Tottenham, PSG… being respectful with the club and our fans and the owners and everyone. I am not this type of person to say ‘It’s my team’. What does this mean? People offer to work in a club and try to build something together. That’s the way we love to work. Of course, with time, because football is very emotional – an emotional business, a contest of emotion… it’s how the coaching staff feel is how we translate in the way we want to play. We are a coaching staff who try to be brave, to be aggressive, to have cojones. That is the way we feel.

"If you say to me I’m happy now, I am so happy. In the last part of the season, in the last training, from 26 or 27 games, we’re in the top four. But still, it’s not enough. We want to evolve, to improve. But I’m so proud.

"The way we’re going to finish the season, it’s time to be proud about the players. Full credit to them. They’re pushing really hard when the problems were there. They dealt with the noise. Full credit to them and the staff. Always we keep calm. To have the capacity to deal with the situation when you work really hard and the results don’t arrive, to keep a balance is really hard but important."

What have you learned about yourself?

"Every single day is a challenge to learn, about you and your people. The situation for us is an experience we want to… capitalise upon. My wife said, ‘capable’… [story about his wife criticising his language] The experience is really important, to learn from every single situation. Football is very dynamic as a sport."

Message to the fans?

"My message is, like always, to trust in the process. Trust in the team. We feel the responsibility to deliver. We are 200% committed to deliver the best job for the club."

Have you spoken to Reece James?

"It was a really difficult season but we now need to help him move on and then to accept the punishment. For sure, we’ll do that in the next few days. The most important thing is we back him, we trust him. He needs to be ready in preseason to start to train and build his fitness. The talent is there. Next season for sure he’ll be one of the best players in the Premier League."

Thiago Silva is saying goodbye on Sunday...

"We are going to miss him, and Brian and Adrian of course. Thiago has fantastic ability, in his career and here in Chelsea. For sure we’ll miss him. Yes, always, when a big character leaves the club we are going to miss him."

How much is this run of form a response to the defeat to Arsenal?

"It’s not a coincidence. Before we played Arsenal we played Manchester City, and Everton we beat 6-0 with one of our best performances. Now we cannot forget too many injuries and the team was really… not tried to recover.

"We played Saturday after the Manchester City disappointment at Wembley, and that was really tough to assimilate. The team were tired on the Tuesday, physically and mentally, and the first half was even. The second half, when we conceded the third goal… that maybe made the situation. That result happened and the team showed the same… The performance against Manchester City was amazing, and Everton. It was a bad day in the office. That can happen with all the team.

"All these experiences will help. A negative. If a negative thing happens, you can turn it into a positive for your spirit in the future. It depends on your attitude."

Want the season not to end?

"Yes. But we are tired. The staff are tired. Maybe players because, when you are injured, you can rest a little bit. You’re at home, you don’t travel. But the staff deserve. The whole staff – 50 or 60 people working here. They deserve a rest. It’s true that we start to feel we can compete in a different way. The way we are competing and evolving make us feel really excited for next season. To reach and achieve to play in Europe next season would be amazing."

Will Nkunku start?

"Because I think he played more than we expected because of the problem with Mudryk, he played 70 minutes. More than we planned. We will assess him tomorrow if he can start. 90 minutes is hard for him to play after playing on Wednesday. We don’t need to take risks. We will take the best decision for him, first, and then the team. We cannot take the risk. He needs to finish well with good feelings, and start preseason like Reece James."

100 goals now in midweek… brought some attacking entertaining football?

"I am not this type of coach, that loves to show in public that I love myself. I am not arrogant. We play the football we feel. I share the same idea of football with many coaches. It’s not ‘our’ idea. We love to attack, we love to be protagonists. But football, there are many ways to approach it. Football is amazing in different ways. Now it’s fashion to play in one way, but there are different ways to approach it."

What was the turning point?

"We believed we could be there. Was there a turning point? The process to work, to keep pushing and believing. When everyone wants to attack you because they want results yesterday. They don’t show patience. That is why experience is really important in life, like in football. No doubt about yourself, about the way you plan to work and play.

"No doubt just because we don’t get what we want sometimes… sometimes football it takes time to build the links between the players. We protect the players. Sometimes we can be wrong, but the more experience and intuition, we saw it was only a matter of time that we could improve and perform better and get the results we wanted."