The manager of Paris Saint Germain, Mauricio Pochettino has declared Chelsea football club the favorites to win the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League.
The Argentine tactician stated this during a pre-match press conference ahead of Club Brugge vs PSG Champions League group game scheduled to kick off at 20:00 today, September 15.
While agreeing that PSG and Chelsea are the teams to beat in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign, Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea have a bigger chance to win the prestigious European club title.
Pochettino argued that Chelsea have an advantage over PSG because they won the last edition of the competition and they have strengthened the squad that won the tournament last season.
Recall that Chelsea signed Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan, and brought in Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid this summer. Saul is still struggling to cope with his team but Lukaku who is not new at the club has since established himself as one of the most important players at Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino said: “Chelsea and ourselves maybe the two teams to beat on paper, looking at our squads, but Chelsea are the holders so they’re the team to beat especially after strengthening their squad.”
PSG is not a team yet according to Mauricio Pochettino
Despite having the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Mauro Icardi, Angel di Maria, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, and many other superstars, Mauricio Pochettino said his squad is not a team yet.
Since the arrival of Lionel Messi to PSG from FC Barcelona, the French side is seen as a team to beat. Recall that the team got to the final of the Champions League in 2019 for the first time in the history of the club without Messi and other new arrivals.
Hence, with the addition of Messi, Hakimi, Ramos, Wijnaldum, and goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG are expected to be unstoppable in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign.
“We’re not a team yet”, Pochettino insisted. “We are a club that has recruited many players this summer. There are some big names but we have to turn into a team.
“We know that we’ll be judged at the end of the season on our results. The pressure is there for all the clubs and we know that for several years, the Champions League is PSG’s main objective.”
Since this season started, Mauricio Pochettino and his players are yet to suffer any defeat none a draw. They are on a winning streak that might not end anytime soon based on the players at the disposal of the Argentine tactician.
