As Mauricio Pochettino gets Chelsea ready to try to keep Erling Haaland off the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge, he claims that forwards now have an easier time in their offensive ambitions because to VAR.
The Norwegian international scored 52 goals in his debut season at Manchester City and has already scored 15 goals in 17 games this 2023–24 season, making life in the Premier League appear easy.
In the Premier League, only Chelsea has allowed less goals than City, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Despite a few crucial mistakes that have resulted in goals, Pochettino will be looking to arm his team with every weapon possible to deny Haaland on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
The 51-year-old head coach has experience against the best attackers in the world, both as a manager and during his playing career. Pochettino played for Espanyol in 1997, when they defeated Barcelona and Ronaldo, who scored 34 goals in that campaign, without conceding a goal.
The former central defender did not hesitate to admit, nevertheless, that his success was the result of dishonest methods. To put it plainly, he feels that with greater protection, the Brazilian superstar would be unbeatable.
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And with VAR nowadays, it’s difficult to stop Ronaldo, according to Pochettino. The defender finds it challenging to stop the player on the defensive line. Yes, we were, you know, yes, before we got into trouble. You are aware that there is a camera present, and you have the ability to employ several tactics. Though I wouldn’t say it was simple, being a defender these days is incredibly challenging.
He continued, saying that the benefit of VAR makes it simpler for offensive players like Ronaldo or Haaland to succeed. Before, every move was like a battle, and the defender is always careful not to foul or take the shirt off.
The task of keeping Haaland silent seems quite formidable when set out. The Blues manager will be heavily involved in getting his defence ready.
“You need to run faster, concentrate, focus, and try to anticipate him,” Pochettino clarified. He is tall, so you have to be specific about how you are going to defend in the box. You must leap ahead of him. People must learn from you, but you also need them to feel good about themselves. You must provide them with high-quality tools; previously, we stopped the offensive players with both high-quality and low-quality instruments.
