Mauricio Pochettino has admitted his Chelsea future is out of his hands and that it is up to the club's owners “to trust or not”.
The Argentine coach must attempt to pick his disappointed players off the floor after the body-blow of Sunday's last-gasp League Cup final defeat against Liverpool.
Chelsea came in for fierce criticism in the British media after losing with just two minutes remaining of extra-time against a Liverpool team missing the likes of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, commentating for Sky Sports, labelled the expensively assembled squad “billion-pound bottle jobs” following the defeat.
And the pressure is being ramped up on Pochettino, whose team languish in 11th place in the Premier League and sit closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager insisted that he had supportive conversations with the club's co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali following the loss at Wembley.
But Pochettino also acknowledged he might not be given time to finish the project he started only last summer.
“It's not in my hands,” he said ahead of Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against second-tier Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. “I have a good relationship with the owners, it is up to them to trust or not.
Chelsea v Liverpool League Cup final ratings
“I said hello when I saw them in the stadium and after [the final] I met Behdad and we were talking.
“We were sharing our opinions about the game and the opportunity we missed to win a trophy because I think we played really well during the 90 minutes.
“We created the best chances, we were not clinical enough but that is what has happened since the beginning of the season.
“They showed their support and after the game, Todd sent a nice message.”
Asking for more time has become Pochettino's mantra this season but he insisted you only need to look at Sunday's victors Liverpool for the perfect example of how showing patience in a manager can pay dividends.
“It's not unusual – Manchester City, Liverpool,” he said when asked whether it was rare for elite managers to be given the benefit of doubt. “They are examples of clubs that win. I don't ask for nothing, but in life you have to look at people who are doing good.
“In three or four years with Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool didn't win a title. Look, now they are getting what they deserve. For us, after eight months to get a final is a massive achievement.
“We were there, a lot of young players had 90, 120 minutes, now they know what it is to play a final, and they will be better for this experience.
“I back my players. Of course, we have to accept some criticism. It is the pressure of playing for a team with an amazing history, different to other clubs.”
Pochettino was dealt another blow ahead of taking on Leeds, who sit second in the Championship, with the news that Christopher Nkunku is set to be out for the next month with an unspecified injury picked up against Liverpool.
The striker has only made nine appearances since moving from RB Leipzig last summer, scoring two goals, in a season when Chelsea have been desperately crying out for a goalscorer.
“We need to see and evaluate every day but at the moment, it's three or four weeks maybe he's out, we hope no more,” Pochettino said of the 26-year-old France international.
“It is difficult for him, we watched him in pre-season, he was frightening on the pitch until he got his knee issue. Now it is nearly eight months, and even when he's involved he is not the same player.
“We have the potential best Nkunku that we saw in Germany, but we did not have that same player in the final.”
Despite the numerous setbacks, Pochettino has been encouraged by the reaction of his players after missing out winning the club's first trophy since 2021.
“I think we are all tired because always when you lose a final, it's not easy to recover,” he said. “But I am so happy because they are really focused and they move forward.
“If you ask all the players if they want to be involved tomorrow in the game, they spoke of revenge.
“Of course I am disappointed because we cannot win the Carabao Cup but we need to move on because we need to compete tomorrow.”
