Mauricio Pochettino lays down gauntlet for Chelsea to challenge Manchester City – ‘We need to believe’

Mauricio Pochettino says his Chelsea squad must «believe» they can challenge Manchester City after beginning work as the club’s new head coach. The Argentine addressed the media for the first time on Friday and revealed his ambitious desire to take Chelsea back to the highest level. Ad Chelsea's first Premier League fixture of 2023/24 sees them take on Liverpool on August 13.

TransfersChelsea chase Southampton midfielder Lavia as exodus continues with Mount exit — Paper RoundYESTERDAY AT 05:13 He said: «I want to congratulate Pep [Guardiola] on what he has achieved with Manchester City. »It's amazing to see a club gain so much stability with the tools from the manager. «Chelsea in the last 10, 12 or 15 years have enjoyed a similar achievement.

»Now, we need to believe that we can also create great things and believe we can compete with Manchester City." ‘Almost a trauma’ – Wiegman on ending England's 56 years of hurt with Euro 2022 triumph 'Our strengths got lost' – Schweinsteiger blames Guardiola for Germany’s decline on the world stage 'He lifts everyone's spirits' — Expert View on Onana's Ajax years amid Man Utd interest The Blues endured a dismal campaign in 2022/23 after finishing 12th in the Premier League, and seeing Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard all taking the managerial hotseat. And in the latest playing departure, the club have seen Mason Mount leave for rivals Manchester United in a £60 million deal. Pochettino admits it is time to move on from that particular transfer and reassured Blues fans that more additions are planned this summer.

“I don’t know what happened with Mount but we have to move on. The past is the past," he explained. “We have not our whole squad but they are