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Mauricio Pochettino has explained that it is easier for players to immediately hit the ground running after signing for a club with more stability, like Manchester City than for a team like his current Chelsea side.
The Chelsea head coach addressed the subject with particular reference to Erling Haaland, who has carried on his high-scoring form at the Etihad Stadium after leaving Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Poch said he believes that when a player joins a team with stability, the coaching crew don’t have much work to do on that player because oftentimes, they already know what to do and how to fit in.
“When you arrive at a club and a team that is very consistent in the way they operate, it is easier than arriving at a club in the process of building something, like us,” Pochettino detailed.
‘At a consistent organisation, it’s only about performing. They are ahead. The percentage chance of a player who signs for City performing better than if we sign a player here is higher at the moment.
“We are trying to find the best organisation, the best way to operate, the best way to play, to get to know each other. At City you arrive, Pep or the coaches don’t need to talk too much. The players know everything they need to do and how they need to behave.”
Poch also spoke about Cole Palmer’s great start to life after leaving Manchester City to join Chelsea over the summer. The 21-year-old has scored three times in his last seven matches, with another three assists to his name.
“It’s easier to adapt to the Premier League when you have played in it,” he added.
“When a player comes from outside England, first of all, you don’t know if they can understand the language, the culture, the food, the weather. It’s not easy for a Manchester boy to come to London and adapt, but it’s not the same.
“There are many different reasons players split and take different decisions,’ added Pochettino of Palmer’s decision to leave the North-West.
“It’s not fair to say it surprised me because he’s now performing and he didn’t play too much at City. We are two different clubs, with different ambitions and objectives. Maybe Chelsea fits really well for Cole.”