Berliner Tageszeitung - Under-fire Pochettino reveals 'good text' from Chelsea owners

The Stamford Bridge club dropped to 11th in the table after Sunday's chastening 4-2 home defeat by Wolves, which followed a heavy 4-1 loss at Liverpool.

Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion ($1.25 billion) on transfers since Todd Boehly's takeover in May 2022 but have little to show for their vast outlay.

Last season the club ended up 12th in the Premier League -- their lowest finish since 1994 -- and they have mustered just nine league wins in the current campaign, Pochettino's first in charge.

The 51-year-old, whose team face Aston Villa in an FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday, was asked on the eve of the match whether the owners still trusted him.

"I didn't hear nothing in another way around," Pochettino told reporters.

"I received a very good text from them. We are all together in this.

"And that is the most important (thing) but of course they are in contact with me and the sporting directors every day," he added.

Pochettino, whose team face Liverpool again in the League Cup final later this month, said his players were "desperate to feel the love from the fans", urging supporters to put their trust in him and his staff.

"We need to make a good connection with the fans," he said. "The fans need to understand now you go to Stamford Bridge and it's a different Chelsea, a different project, a different everything.

"Yes, I think also it's our responsibility, the players and of course the staff and the club, it's our responsibility to create a connection, to find something between us."

He added: "The fans need from us to see that we really care about the club. I promise to every single fan that the players want to perform and want to win games and the players suffer a lot when they are not performing, they feel the responsibility."

Pochettino also said Thiago Silva had met with him privately to discuss a post sent by the veteran defender's wife on social media on Sunday appearing to call for the manager to be sacked.

"He came today to talk with me. I'm not going to talk about (what we said)," the former Tottenham boss said.

"He came and wanted to talk with me... that was private. That's it."

U. Schmidt--BTZ