The frustrated head coach told his stars appearances are not given without thought and only to those who are ready to help Chelsea win right away.
Competition for places in certain departments of Pochettino’s squad is hotting up with big summer signings Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia fit again after long-term injuries.
And he appeared to take exception to some of the discussion surrounding Nkunku who was made to wait for his debut this week.
Rather than against Sheffield United when he was an unused substitute, France forward Nkunku was given his first minutes off the bench against Newcastle a few days later in the Carabao Cup.
Pochettino said: ‘After six months, like Nkunku, like him [Lavia], they need to understand they need to be involved, to train really, really hard every day.
‘They need to be an impact every time they go to the pitch. It’s not to say we are in a pre-season game and they go to the pitch and we say, ‘if they perform well, if they don’t perform well, then no problem’, because [they’ve been out for] six months …
‘The players need to understand that that is not a charity thing. That we are going to play football, we need to win.‘Sometimes the professionals feel so disappointed because they want to play. It’s difficult to understand. The environment of the player, also, they say they are disappointed because Nkunku didn’t play against Sheffield United.
‘It is not because we don’t believe in him, or in this case Lavia. It is because there are many other players fit and training for six months and in that moment maybe we need to decide, to make an impact with players that are more ready than these guys.‘We are not talking about names, or supposing he is going to be better than one [player]. We are talking about today, who is ready to compete and provide what we are expecting for the team.’
And Pochettino insists he and the club have every right to be just as disappointed as any player hoping for greater involvement.
He continued: ‘Maybe I am talking too much. But it’s true. Come on, it’s annoying me. Not you [the journalists].
‘The people around the player [saying] ‘Oh I wanted to play. I am disappointed’.
‘I am disappointed. The club is disappointed they are investing big to play, to score goals and when you are not scoring goals, okay we pay the salary every month if you don’t play or you are injured.
‘Who suffered for us? The coaches. Who suffered for the club?’
Mauricio Pochettino launched into an incredible rant about players and their entourages complaining about a lack of time on the pitch, insisting Chelsea is "not a charity" 🔵🗣️ pic.twitter.com/mcNzcEBWAy
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 22, 2023
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