Pochettino hails Chelsea growth after West Ham win
Mauricio Pochettino is delighted by Chelsea's progress in recent weeks after its dominant 5-0 victory over West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson scored twice, while Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke were also on target as the Blues leapfrogged Manchester United into seventh place with three games remaining.
Pochettino's side, which made it back-to-back wins in the space of three days after its 2-0 success over Tottenham Hotspur last week, is finishing the season strongly, having now lost just one of its past 12 matches.
The Blues came under scrutiny during a 6-0 rout of Everton last month, when Jackson and Madueke were involved in an altercation after a disagreement over who should take a penalty, the responsibility eventually going to regular penalty taker Palmer.
However, three weeks on, the pair combined to positive effect with Madueke unselfishly squaring the ball for Jackson to tap in the first of his two goals, despite being one-on-one with West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
Pochettino believes that action epitomises the growth his side is demonstrating as the season draws towards a conclusion.
"[We are] so pleased, so happy. The players deserve big credit, to play again after a few days and to play again at this level," he said.
"We received criticism for the situation with the penalty against Everton, but a young team needs to make mistakes to improve.
"It was a great action from Noni [squaring the ball for Jackson's first goal] to see how the group is starting to believe. It is always a process that takes time. It can take one month, six months or one year.
"People who know about football know the process of building a team is the most difficult thing. You need to have the capacity to emphasise with every single player.
"They need to trust in us, in the coaching staff. That is the most important thing, and then you need to start to identify what the players need. This process always takes time."
Discussing Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for Europe, Pochettino said: "From the beginning of the season, I said we should win because we are Chelsea.
"We need to be mature, keep the momentum and look to improve every single game. We are trying to be in Europe; it will be good for the team and the players to be in Europe this season."
