Football: Soccer-“It’s only the start”: Pochettino praises his new Chelsea players

LONDON (Reuters) – Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino said he was delighted with the performance of the Blues in his first competitive match in charge – a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday – and hinted at more new signings in the pipeline.

Pochettino – Chelsea’s third permanent manager in a year – said the first 20 minutes of the game at Stamford Bridge were tough before his new-look side, featuring four debutants in the starting 11, started to grow in confidence.

“I’m so pleased with the performance overall,” the Argentine told reporters. “I think we deserved to win because we conceded only one shot on target against a team like Liverpool … It’s only the start, it’s only the beginning.”

Pochettino said he was happy with the way his players responded to going behind to a Luiz Diaz opener in the 18th minute. Debutant defender Axel Disasi equalised in the 37th and Chelsea dominated for much of the second half.

“When some difficult moments appeared, the team was there and then the crowd was fantastic,” he added.

Chelsea, whose new American owners spent over 600 million pounds ($761.64 million) last season only for the team to finish 12th, remain linked with Brighton & Hove Albion midfield anchor Moises Caicedo, despite Liverpool announcing last week that they had a deal with the South Coast club to buy the player.

Pochettino – who previously managed Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur but was given a rapturous welcome by Blues fans before the game and an ovation after it – said he expected more new players to arrive, without giving individual names.

“We need good players. Yes, we need to improve the squad,” he said when asked about Chelsea’s midfield.

“For sure we are going to improve the squad. It’s about finding, you know, the right profile, the right player to create the combination that we are maybe more solid.”

Asked about the absence of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Sunday’s squad, amid media speculation about a move to Real Madrid, Pochettino said the Spaniard was looking at “different situations, different possibilities.

“For us, the decision is to have all the players who are committed and thinking to be in Chelsea for the season and that is why he wasn’t in the squad,” he said.

Pochettino said he substituted Chelsea’s new club captain Reece James late on because he was tired and needed to be managed carefully after suffering injuries last season.

($1 = 0.7878 pounds)

(Reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by Ken Ferris)