Espanyol defender Victor Sanchez has rushed to the defence of under-fire boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Rumours have been rife that Pochettino could be axed this week following the poor start to the season, with some fans shouting for his head after the 3-0 home defeat to Osasuna at the weekend.
Nonetheless, former Barcelona player Sanchez has come out in support of the 40-year-old Argentine, who took over in January 2009 having had two playing spells with the club.
“The shouts against Pochettino are shouts against all of us,” he told a Press conference.
“We are behind him because we are all in the same boat and the easiest thing to do is criticise the Coach.
“We understand that when they shout at Pochettino they are asking for more effort, sacrifice and better results, but the players are the ones who need to turn things around.”
Sanchez said that despite the rumours Pochettino had been his usual self in training on Monday evening.
“There was nothing out of the ordinary and we didn’t have a chat because some players were absent, but he explained the plan for the week and put us to work,” revealed Sanchez, who commented on Pochettino’s importance to Espanyol.
“It wouldn’t be the same without him. Since I came here he has been the boss and there have been some good and bad moments, but the way of doing things has always been good.
“Besides, he has brought a lot of players through the youth set-up. Now we have to work and fight and that’s what we’ll do.
“We are having a tough time but the players are the ones to get us out of this. We feel worse about it because it’s our fault,” he concluded.
