With eight days to go before Chelsea fly out for the US pre-season tour, coach Mauricio Pochettino has outlined the significance of their forthcoming friendly fixtures as they begin building relationships with the team and Chelsea supporters.
Pochettino is nearing the end of his first full week in charge of the team at Stamford Bridge. He has been able to get down to work with a good number of the squad, although numbers will be swelled in the coming days as the internationals return to Cobham.
Shortly after that, he and the players will fly to the US to continue preparations for the 2023/24 season, including five exciting fixtures.
“The results need to arrive in the Premier League and the competitions we are involved in, so it’s a different objective in pre-season,” Pochettino explained of what he wants from those games.
“Now we must provide the players with the best tools for them to grow, feel better, and start the pre-season in perfect condition. Together, we are going to be in a perfect situation to work and develop the way we want to apply ourselves on the pitch,” he added.
The tour, which takes in visits to North Carolina, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington DC and Illinois, will also give Pochettino the chance to meet Chelsea fans en masse for the first time. He is looking forward to forging new friendships at the start of an exciting journey with the club.
“I know very well that we need to build this relationship,” the head coach stressed.
“We hope we can create as soon as possible this good feeling, but I know very well we need to create this good feeling around the signals the team sends to them. We need to be a team that shows togetherness, cares about the club, cares about the fans, and that fights until the end for the badge. That’s the most important thing. The fans need to feel that all the players involved in the game are going to die for the club. That is the most important thing to create this good feeling and for sure feel proud of each other,” he added. – Chelseasfc.com
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