Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea players are struggling with pressure

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted the Blues' young core of players are struggling with the pressure of playing for the club.

Since the arrival of Todd Boehly & Clearlake Capital at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have drastically overhauled their squad, selling players to fund purchases of a vast number of young talents for significant fees.

Indeed, the overhaul has been so extensive that only three players from the squad that faced Leicester City in the 2021 FA Cup final will be in the team for Sunday's quarter-final clash with the Foxes: Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Thiago Silva.

«We are in a process in which, of course, the main group, the main young players, of course, they struggle a little bit to deal with the pressure to play for Chelsea,» Pochettino said ahead of the game.

«That is the thing we are aware of and are focusing on trying to help them in all areas. Because when you have this young squad, it's not only to help them in training. We have spent a lot of time talking… talking with the people that work around these guys, who are important, too.»

As part of his ongoing attempts to build a sense of unity among his group of new faces, Pochettino threw his third barbecue of the season on Friday.

«The idea is to share among the players, and all the staff are invited, too,» he explained. «There are going to be 120 or 130 people. The most important thing is that the players understand what it means to be a Chelsea player, to share with people sometimes what you don't see from the office, to be all together, and to create a very good atmosphere. 

»For sure, we are not going to score goals because we are going to have a barbecue, but of course, it is about communication and feeling better. 

«It is not only a