Chelsea will host local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 26th round of the Premier League, and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino attended the pre-match press conference for the game.
Team injuries
There was no good news because we couldn't recover any players from the injured list, but we added Thiago Silva and Disasi who won't be playing tomorrow.
What a great signing Thiago Silva has been for Chelsea
Of course. He's an amazing guy, an amazing professional player. I won't find this type of player anymore, almost 40 years old and having had an amazing career. He will be missed by players, fans and clubs, but he is happy and proud of his career at Chelsea and other clubs. I wish him all the best because he deserves it all.
The game against Villa was supposed to be three points. Are you still angry after the game?
Yes of course. Every game is a challenge for us and now we have a big challenge against Tottenham, who are a good team. I think it's going to be a good game because it's an opportunity for some young players to be on the bench and potentially play.
When an opportunity like that presents itself we have to wake up and step up and for the young players they have to say: 'I'm here and I want to play in the first team at Chelsea.' "I think it's a great opportunity and it's going to be a good game for sure.
Sweden doesn't have a VAR and Postecoglou says he might move there, will you follow him?
Maybe. Why not?
Are you in favor of the Premier League introducing a spending cap?
I wasn't involved. I don't understand what the correct answer is.
How do you feel about facing your former club again?
When we played there, it was special because it was the first time since I left the club, but now it's different. It's always emotional, because we're going to meet people we've been working with for a long time. Yes, I can't hide my feelings for the club, I think it's going to be an emotional exchange.
Whenever you face a former teammate and history is good, you think of something, of course. But as I said before, it's 90 minutes and we want to win and Tottenham will try to win. It's going to be a good game.
Tomorrow is your 400th game in England. How would you sum up your time as a coach?
That's great. I think it's a dream come true. For me, the idea of coming to England and being a coach here, it was an impossible idea, but after the decision of my wife and my friend Gabriel Jesus. They convinced me to join Southampton.
It was one of the best decisions of my life, to come to England and enjoy this great football country. Of course, I felt very comfortable. It's like being at home.
What was the most challenging time for you?
Each period has been an amazing challenge for us. When we get to Southampton, nobody knows us and we have to try to convince the players and get our football philosophy across. In the UK, who else but Rodgers is trying to establish a different style of football.
It's an amazing challenge. We met an amazing club, an amazing chairman, an amazing person, the staff, the players. The journey at Southampton is an amazing one, and at Tottenham Hotspur it's also an amazing one because the challenge is to create a team that can compete and challenge the big teams.
A year and a half later, we started the challenge. For almost six years, we have been challenging all the big clubs. We reached the final of the Champions League, built a new stadium, a new training ground. It's an amazing moment to be a part of this journey.
Now that I'm at Chelsea and it's an amazing club with a long history, it's trying to develop and become an exciting project and we know we need time – maybe it's the most challenging time.
Will you be able to take another 400 games?
I think we're still young, aren't we? and we're trying to enjoy every day now and offer our knowledge and experience to the club. Of course, we always go for that passion and adrenaline that we want to feel every time we train or compete.
It's hard to say I'm going to stop coaching, or we're going to stop doing what we love. I hope yes, we can take another 400 games.
How highly do you rate Postecoglou?
I think he gives hope to the fans and to the club. They played very well. When you arrive in a new country, the challenge is always great. But he's done a fantastic job and every time you see Tottenham playing, you enjoy their performances.
Are you happy with the counter-attack at Villa?
Yes, very satisfied, because it's part of learning. This process, we need to learn. You need to go through the process and learn from it. It's a huge challenge to have all these potential and talented players compete in the toughest league in the world.
Does that show you how quickly a player can adapt
Yes. There were ups and downs, but I think they were learning. It's a process. We need to help and force them to be aware of what they need to improve and where they can become better. The project we talked about earlier, with one, two or three players, it's a little bit easier. But when you have a lot of young players, it's not difficult anymore, but you need more time for them to learn.
One of the 400 games was the 'Battle of Stamford Bridge'. Talk about your emotions that night?
I remember it well. I have a good memory. It was a very tough race, a tough night. We need to win and Chelsea are an experienced team. I remember they had Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, what a strong team it was, wasn't it?
They weren't very good that season, but in that game they competed well because they knew how to compete. It was a tough battle because we wanted to win and we were very competitive. Sometimes we crossed the line and it was a very difficult moment, but it showed how competitive we are at Tottenham and that's why we're in the Champions League final a few years later because we're a very competitive team.
How was it when you first went back earlier this season?
It was a tough game because they started well. You need to be more about performing well and not just playing well, and I think earlier in the season there were a lot of things that worked in our favour and a lot of things against us in the early part of the season. I hope tomorrow positive things will work in our favour and for us it's very important to get the three points.
Have you and your team figured out why there are so many injuries at the club?
I need to be honest. What I can say is that for a new club, a new process and a new academy there are always things we can do better, of course. We all feel a great responsibility. Then there are too many situations to explain why. It's hard to explain in a single word or sentence.
Of course, we are working on improvements. We have a great medical team, a performance area, a coaching team, and we all have experience in managing clubs and doing this work. Sometimes it happens when certain situations arise and, of course, we need to put all the information on the table and do better next season.
We need to improve in terms of communication, dynamics, strategy, etc. We need to put our knowledge into as many things as possible to try to improve. But I think quality is here. Sometimes the team goes wrong, sometimes the team doesn't perform well, but the consistency of new projects can sometimes spoil the situation. But I'm not saying that's it. Probably everything was together today and that's why we suffered so many injuries.
Do you want Madueke to make a breakthrough for the rest of the season?
Yes of course. He did a great job. He scored against Aston Villa. He's improved a lot without the ball. For him, the challenge is to improve without the ball and better connect with the defensive end. He can do it. I hope he can use this opportunity to play a little more before the end of the season.