Mauricio Pochettino makes fresh Chelsea promise with surprise U-turn amid sack pressure

Mauricio Pochettino has promised to tone down his public critiques of the Chelsea squad, admitting that his previous comments about their maturity may have been too harsh. The Argentine, who took over at Stamford Bridge last summer, has seen his side secure only 12 wins in the Premier League so far, leaving them languishing in ninth place ahead of the weekend's fixtures.

Pochettino's tenure has been marked by a series of frank assessments during press conferences, with his latest rebuke coming after Chelsea contrived to throw away the lead twice in a damaging last-gasp draw against Sheffield United, where they let in a late equaliser to the league's bottom team. He had remarked that his players were "not mature enough" in the wake of that result.

However, the boss has now acknowledged that he needs to change his approach. "Being honest, it is true that it is a special season for us because we are suffering [a lot of injuries] at the moment," he told reporters on Friday. "But we need to stop talking because, for me, talking about this in the press conference is so boring.

"We need to stop, adapt, and accept reality. We need to be positive with the players we have and the young kids who have come through the academy. We will try to be competitive and win the game on Monday. We need to accept, be positive and train with young guys from the academy.

"They might step up, and players that we didn't count on could surprise us and be good players and profiles for Chelsea. When this type of situation happens, another door opens."

Chelsea are set to host Everton on Monday, aiming to recover from their draw against the Blades. Pochettino has hinted that several academy players may get a chance to shine against the Toffees, but he was quick to add that they would only play if they meet his high standards, reports the Mirror.

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"I think they are so close [to the first team]. That is a good opportunity for them to show their quality. We are realistic, but if we can give them the opportunity then they can be consistent," the Chelsea boss added. A few of them will have the possibility to be in the squad on Monday.

"Also they are training for us, and for 16, 17, 18 year olds they are training normally and being consistent with us. That is a very good experience and a very good evolution for them, to compete with senior players.

"We assess the players and then we will take the decisions from that. We analyse the form of all the players, then I need to make the decisions. We see the players training every day and we make an assessment, in our opinion, on who is the best placed to play.

"If they are performing well or better than another, that is what decides whether one plays or another. We are competitive but need to help each other, because we have enough talent to win games."