Mauricio Pochettino claims he didn’t hear Chelsea fans telling him to “f**k off” as tensions rose in the away end during Saturday’s Premier League draw against Brentford. Pressure on the Argentine’s job intensified as Chelsea failed to win for a fourth time in five league games at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Nicolas Jackson cashed in on a positive first-half performance in the west London derby to fire the visitors ahead before the break.
But Chelsea dramatically lost their way in the second half and fell 2-1 down with 20 minutes to go through Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa’s strikes.
Axel Disasi’s late equaliser spared the Blues’ blushes. Still, it didn’t do much to settle the friction between Pochettino and the travelling fans, who chanted “f**k off Mauricio” after his side conceded the second.
After full-time, Pochettino explained he was unaware of the chanting but admitted that he couldn’t blame the Chelsea fans for making their frustrations known.
“I didn’t hear it, to be honest. I don’t know. I need to believe what you are telling me,” Pochettino said.
“It’s normal. We were losing the game 2-1, and it’s about expressing their frustration, and we were responsible.”
It’s no secret the Argentine, who spent five years as Tottenham Hotspur boss, arrived at Stamford Bridge to doubters after his underwhelming Paris Saint-Germain tenure.
But when asked about his relationship with the Chelsea support, Pochettino simmered suggestions that he hasn’t yet won them over.
He added: “I think the relationship is good. If they did what they did, it’s a frustration. I am fighting with all my senses to try and provide the team with the best tools to work and improve.”
Chelsea’s visiting support didn’t solely target Pochettino with their chants. Todd Boehly was also the subject of abuse, with one song labelling the club owner a “c**t”.
