It was a strange post-match press conference. Everyone sat inside the press conference room at Wembley Stadium was expecting Mauricio Pochettino to be an intense and incredibly frustrated figure.
His Chelsea team had arguably outplayed Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final but were extremely wasteful in front of goal. Nicolas Jackson, notably, had three golden opportunities to score but failed in each attempt. There were other chances, too, but decision-making in the final third cost the Blues.
Since May 2022, Chelsea's attacking record at Wembley makes for horrendous reading. The Blues have attempted 39 shots, with an xG of 4.52 but have not scored a single goal. In five of their last six matches at the national stadium, Chelsea have failed to score.
Yet Pochettino seemed calm, assured and composed. Sensible. «In football, the most important thing is to be clinical and to not concede,» the Argentine said post-match. «We competed well. I cannot say we were the better side because that in football is difficult to measure.
»Competing in this way, we need to take positives from the game. This type of group of players needs this type of moments in games. Now it's about to take the positive things and try to build in the things that we need, the areas we need to improve. Now is the time to finish the season in the best way and then to speak about how we can be better next season."
And that last sentence from Pochettino is telling. While there have been signs of progress, albeit in small doses, there are areas of the squad that need improving. Some players need moving on. There needs to be a balance.
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