Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino claimed that it was a professional decision to drop Thiago Silva to the bench in the Blues’ 3-1 FA Cup win against Aston Villa (February 7).
The decision comes after Silva’s wife Isabelle seemingly called for the Argentine coach’s sacking following the 4-2 defeat to Wolves on Sunday (February 4). She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“It’s time to change. If you wait any longer it will be too late.”
However, she was quick to apologize and posted another message on X:
“I’m sorry that my personal outburst as a passionate Chelsea fan has caused such an impact. I’m passionate about the team, I thrive on victories and I’m saddened by defeats.”
Hinting at the fact that this message from Silva’s wife had nothing to do with the Brazilian not starting his team’s latest match, Pochettino said (via Daily Mail):
“I am professional and a coach and I always pick my players because of performance and balance. I think I understand the question but I want to be calm because I need to be professional and I always make my decisions because of the professional side.”
Admitting that he also had a conversation with the experienced defender about his wife’s comments, Pochettino added:
“He came today to talk with me. I am not going to talk in the way we were talking. The important thing is he came and wanted to talk with me.We talked. It was private. And that’s it.”
The Blues will host Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 29.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino hints at important facet needed to enjoy success after Aston Villa win
Chelsea completed a comfortable 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday (February 7) and moved into the fifth round of the FA Cup. They scored early through Conor Gallagher in the 11th minute before Nicolas Jackson put them two up before the break (21′).
Enzo Fernandez struck a stunning second-half free-kick to take the game beyond Aston Villa’s reach (54′). Speaking after the match, Pochettino called for consistency and said (via We ain’t got no history):
“Today, I really enjoyed on the touchline because good, and not so good, results can arrive but with this group of players, talented players, young players, we need to provide consistency.”
Moussa Diaby scored Aston Villa’s only goal in the stoppage time (90 1′). Up next for Chelsea is a trip to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday (February 12).
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