Mauricio Pochettino urged Chelsea to ‘grow up’ when asked about Nicolas Jackson following a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.
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Pochettino arrived as Chelsea head coach this summer, tasked with turning the club’s fortunes around after a horrific 12th-placed top-flight finish last term.
But Chelsea’s nightmare shows no sign of ending with the west Londoners having won just one of their opening six Premier League games so far this season.
The Blues hosted Villa at Stamford Bridge this weekend but once again put in a poor performance and lost 1-0 with Malo Gusto sent off before Ollie Watkins’ winner.
Pochettino was quizzed specifically about summer signing Jackson after the match – who once again failed to score and picked up his fifth yellow card of the season – meaning he is now suspended for Chelsea’s next game.
Jackson joined the Blues from Villarreal in a £30m deal and much pressure has been placed on the 22-year-old striker’s shoulders given Chelsea’s goalscoring problems, with the Senegal star registering just one goal to his name so far.
Asked about Jackson following defeat to Villa, Pochettino said: ‘We were talking, we need to grow up like a team.
‘Nico is young and is feeling the Premier League. Football is about winning but players when they are young need to learn.
‘That is why we feel disappointed. We have too many situations like this.’
Pochettino also refused to place any blame on Gusto for Chelsea’s defeat despite his red card.
‘It is our responsibility,’ Pochettino responded when quizzed if Gusto’s tackle was necessary.
‘I am not going to blame and say something against Malo Gusto because sometimes things happen in football but they effect the game.’
Chelsea are back in action on Wednesday when they host Brighton in the Carabao Cup.
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