Chelsea's billion-pound bottle job label has prompted Mauricio Pochettino to respond to "unfair" and "annoying" criticism of his team.

Following Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the League Cup final on Sunday, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville dubbed them "blue billion-pound bottle jobs."

Sky Sports pundit Neville was harsh on Chelsea's lackluster display in extra time at Wembley as an inexperienced Liverpool lineup prolonged the Blues' wait for their first domestic championship since 2018.

Since Toddy Boehly's consortium acquired Chelsea in 2022, the West London club has regressed despite spending over £1 billion ($1.5 billion) on acquisitions.


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Pochettino, however, said to reporters on Tuesday that he would not take Neville's jab, saying, "The problem is so annoying when after eight months always people talk about one billion."

"It's unfair. The new owners arrived with the right intention and wanted to build something different from the past.

"For me the players have an amazing quality, they only need time. It's not an excuse for me because if I am here or not, it's not dependent on me. I think we are doing an amazing job."

Chelsea's disgruntled supporters have booed their team multiple times this season as they languish in 11th place in the Premier League.

Boehly has already fired Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter in his brief tenure. Pochettino needs help to afford an embarrassing FA Cup fifth-round loss to second-tier Leeds at home on Wednesday.

However, convinced Chelsea will correct it in due course, "We cannot see maybe great results," Pochettino stated. However, we will have a fantastic team.


"We are young, we are learning. People who have worked here for many years say they have started to feel different ways about how the club is.

"But unfortunately we cannot relate in points. Always this type of process needs time."

Asked if he expects the club's ownership to remain patient, Pochettino replied: "Why not? I am confident until they tell me something.

"I feel the support from them. When I went up (to receive his runners-up medal at Wembley), I was so upset, nearly crying when I arrived there.

"And then Todd sent a very, very nice text to me, and then I met (co owner) Behdad (Eghbali) and he was really good."