Premier League: ‘We’re so bad,’ Pochettino’s scathing assessment after Arsenal thrash Chelsea 5-0

An exasperated Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday (Apr 23) admitted that when his team has bad days, they are incredibly bad, as Chelsea were routed 0-5 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the London derby.

Chelsea were played off the park by Mikel Arteta-coached Arsenal who looked like scoring after each passage of attacking play. Pochettino admitted the loss of Cole Palmer had a big impact on the match but even he could not have salvaged such a poor performance from the Blues.

«Maybe with him [Cole Palmer], the team today, it could be in the same situation. But of course Palmer is doing well for us and he is the only player we have to link all the lines of the team. When you miss a player like this, it is not easy. It was a great opportunity for some players to step up,» said Pochettino.

«We are showing this inconsistency and that is why we are where we are. We are able to have an amazing performance [against Man City] and then one like this. When we have bad days, we are so bad.»

Also read | Premier League: Five-star Arsenal thrash Chelsea to open up lead at top

'Fight for the shirt'

The derby defeat marks another low in Pochettino's tenure as the Chelsea boss, with the team languishing in ninth place on the points table and without European football for the next season.

The frustration of the fans has been growing, both with the coach and the players. During the match, a young Chelsea fan held up a banner which read: «I don't want your shirt I want you to fight for ours.»

Quizzed about the poster, Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher said: «We definitely are putting the effort in. I know it's been said many times; it's a very young squad with not much experience as a team in the Premier League. As you’ve seen this