Mauricio Pochettino praised his young Chelsea side for “growing up very fast” following Sunday’s win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine had stressed after the win against Tottenham how important it was for the Blues to replicate that same level of performance against the Hammers.
It’s safe to say the 52-year-old would have been delighted with the way the team competed all over the pitch and the quality on display in the resounding 5-0 win.
Pochettino pleased to see Chelsea maturing
It’s been a season of ups and downs for Chelsea and their young inexperienced squad, and despite showing moments of brilliance as a team those moments have been few and far between this campaign.
However, following a tactical switch which has seen Marc Cucurella invert into midfield when the team are in possession, Chelsea seem transformed compared to earlier in the season, and have played some of their best football of the season over the last two games.
Pochettino was of course delighted with the performance, but highlighted afterwards how impressed he was with the team’s growing maturity, citing Noni Madueke’s decision to pass to Nicolas Jackson rather than try and score himself.
“When the team is young, you have to put it all together and start working until everyone starts to find their space and starts to feel really confident, that is the most difficult thing and always takes time”, he told Chelsea’s official website.
“I said a few weeks ago, I am so happy now because we are so close to being in that position and that first step after Tottenham, the way we competed was fantastic.
“The team is growing up very fast because that is the minimum standard that we need if we want to compete in this league.
“But now, with the maturity of Noni, rather than being selfish and trying to score, he gave the assist. When this sort of thing starts to appear, you know it is a very positive sign for the team.
“It was tough to arrive here [at this point] but now everything is going so fast and it is going to be fast being we have the quality.”
Another sign the Blues have matured is lack of yellow cards for dissent, which was a massive problem in the first half of the season, dare I say things are heading in the right direction.
