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Every word Mauricio Pochettino said on Chelsea win, Tottenham display and 'unbelievable' Madueke

Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino -Credit:Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC


Mauricio Pochettino was absolutely delighted with Chelsea's performance as they beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

Goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson either side of half-time was enough to lift the Blues up to eighth-place in the Premier League table. It was a really mature performance from Chelsea – a squad that has often been criticised for its immaturity.

Pochettino was enthralled by what he saw. Here is every word he had to say in his post-match press conference at Stamford Bridge.

Was that the most satisfying win you've had this season?

"I think for me, it is the best game. Maybe I don't know if it's the best game but it is the most happy I've been after. In the way that we play, the way we compete, that is what we wanted from the beginning of the season, what we want to apply to the team.

"Today, we were so competitive. In this way, we can grow, we can do better and we can improve in the areas."

In matches like this, how helpful is it to have players like Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah?

"They were fantastic, of course. Always we talk about the identity of the clubs, players that grow in the club, came through the academy system. They have the capacity in this type of game to give a little bit more because it's emotional.

READ MORE: Chelsea player ratings as Chalobah and Jackson shine, Caicedo great in impressive Tottenham win

READ MORE: Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson silences Jamie Redknapp in perfect fashion against Tottenham

"But that doesn't mean the players that arrive away from the academy do not feel the same. You can see Thiago [Silva] how he feels, how emotional he is, how you can build this bond with your team. But in this case, they [Gallagher and Chalobah] were fantastic. The whole team were fantastic but Trevoh and Conor were amazing."

Are you starting to see a team now that is playing with your identity?

"We were talking a lot with Jesus [Perez], they are a group of players that didn't suffer an injury and you can see today they can work, the work-rate. It is true it was a little bit unlucky at the beginning of the season that we suffered, for different reasons, some different circumstances. We were never able to work with the whole team in the way that we had the capacity to work.

"It is not easy to create a competitive group of players that can go to the pitch 100 per cent in their best form. Today, in the last few weeks, we are trying to find this balance. People are starting to realise it is a process, the time that you need.

"Noni Madueke today, for me, unbelievable. If you analyse him from the start of the season; all the conversations and meetings, clips and videos, things like this. He was capable today of doing a fantastic job with the ball – of course, he is an offensive player – but without the ball he is doing a fantastic job helping Alfie [Gilchrist] defend. That is what we need for the future, to build this competitive spirit."

Did you target Spurs' weakness from set-pieces?

"No, no. If you analyse all of the teams, all the teams we concede [against] and all the teams we score against from set-pieces. It is about confidence and the situation that because if you like the statistics, you can see teams score a lot of goals in one season from set-pieces and the next season they didn't score and they have the same people working, the same coaching staff.

"Look, that is a debate I agree with Ange about. He was talking yesterday. There is so much confusion and it affects the people who make the decisions in the club."

The latest on Conor Gallagher's future...

"I am not involved. I do not know nothing."

How important is he?

"You can see. My starting XI, the whole season he has always been there, in all of the circumstances he is always there. I am not involved in the decision. It is a situation they need to fix between the club and the player."