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Coming From Fabrizio Romano this Morning VERY SAD Mauricio Pochettino News has been announced by Club Owner Todd Boehly

Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the media following Chelsea’s goalless stalemate with Aston Villa. The Blues will travel to Villa Park to play the FA Cup fourth round replay after they failed to break the deadlock on Friday evening.

Pochettino’s side, after hitting six past Middlesbrough earlier in the week, were unable to replicate such form in front of an expectant Stamford Bridge. Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer both had great chances for Chelsea but were unable to beat Emiliano Martinez, who was in inspired form.

Now, Pochettino will prepare his players for a really difficult test against Liverpool next week as the Blues return to Premier League action at Anfield. But there will be time for a few reflections on the draw. Below, Bobby Vincent transcribed every word Pochettino said following the match.

What’s your reaction to Jurgen Klopp deciding to step down at the end of the season?

“I was shocked because today I was working a little bit before the game and I saw the news. Really sad because already we miss him. And then because when we were sacked from Tottenham, the first message I received was from him. That is not the case, I didn’t send him a message but I’m going to have the opportunity on Wednesday to thank him and show my respect.

“I think the job he was doing at Liverpool is amazing. We are going to miss him but he deserves his wishes, to rest a little bit and go away. Yes, I think sad news for football. He’s a great character, great man, great coach – for sure, English football is going to miss him and Liverpool, of course.”

What will his legacy be?

“It’s clear. When he arrived his first game was against us [Tottenham] at White Hart Lane. October 2015, I think we played, and it was 0-0. The legacy is massive. His charisma, his capacity to manage, to create with an amazing club like Liverpool, their own philosophy and history is there.

“I need to congratulate him, to everyone that is involved, his coaching staff. They fully deserve the prize they are going to receive from here until the end of the season.”

Does that result [vs Aston Villa] prove you are still missing something up front?

“Yes, but for both sides, no? They have amazing players in attack, different players, and they didn’t score and we kept a clean sheet. These types of games are even and of course when you face a team like Aston Villa, it is always difficult. Of course, we didn’t score but we created chances.

“I trust and believe in my players, for sure, playing this way, we are going to score. We came from Tuesday where we scored six. I think the keeper is an amazing keeper, Emiliano, he was really, really good. Yes, sometimes you need some luck to score.”

How bad is Levi Colwill’s injury?

“No, we don’t believe it’s so bad. A small issue where he didn’t feel comfortable. We knew before we maybe don’t start with him, but then he was ready to play. Then he felt something but it’s not a big issue. I hope he can train tomorrow.”

How good has Petrovic been?

“He’s doing fantastic. I think we need to give full credit because he arrived this season at Chelsea from the MLS. He’s really young and he’s performing well. I think the way he is behaving in the goal, it shows his quality and his character is amazing. I think he’s doing an amazing job.”

How do you think Alfie [Gilchrist] did given the circumstances [replacing Colwill before the game]?

“Really good. It’s one of the most difficult things to manage the stress because he knew he was not going to play and then he was going to play. Sometimes with the young guys, you give the starting XI and sometimes think too much and the stress can affect. But because it was 20 minutes or half an hour before the game, sometimes you think too much.

“All the young ones need time to be calm and relaxed and not spend so much energy thinking on the game. He was really good. Good game from him, he is going to grow.”

Does the fact that he responded so well, does that make you trust him more?

“Of course. I think it’s important for his career. He needs to compete with different players in his position. We are giving him the opportunity. It’s important for academy players to have the opportunity to play and show they can cope for playing for Chelsea. We will see if he can reach the level we expect. We are so happy in the way that he is producing.”

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Was it important to show today as a team that you can perform at a very high level?

“I think during the first six or seven months of the season, we were showing we can compete. Against Liverpool in the first game of the season, we showed we can compete, or against Arsenal, against City, against Tottenham. Too many games we showed that.

“The problem in the first half of the season, or the first seven months, we didn’t show consistency to do it game after another game. Now it looks like we are being more consistent with our performance. Only the defeat against Middlesbrough away from home the only disappointing [performance]. That is how we want to compete, improving and now a great opportunity to go and play Aston Villa and try to compete. It’s going to be good for this young team to have this opportunity to show we can compete against a team doing really well in the Premier League and is in the top four. I think it’s important for our confidence.”

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