Gustavo Poyet, a four-year Chelsea player who scored the winning goal in the European Super Cup victory over Real Madrid, discusses the “blue” moment and the contest with the whites with AS.
Gustavo Poyet (Montevideo, 55 years old) watches every Chelsea game whenever his duties as the Greek coach let him to be in front of the screen. He moved to London in the summer of 1997 after rising to ꜰᴀᴍᴇ in Zaragoza, and he spent four seasons there, winning the FA Cup, the Community Shield, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and the Super Cup in 1998. He also defeated Real Madrid in Monaco with an own goal during that time. Poyet is affable, polite, and a skilled conversationalist who doesn’t back down from a ʜᴏᴛ button subject. He travels from Athens to AS during the Champions League season.
Is he still a distant “blue” supporter more than 20 years after leaving Chelsea?
Of sure, I sᴀʏ. There are many who would rather not ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ whose team they support, but I spent a wonderful time there, and I am frequently invited to significant celebrations, so I consider myself to be a good supporter of the team.
What did you think of Graham Potter’s firing at the gates of the Champions League match vs Real Madrid as a coach and football fan?
Without having a thorough understanding of the specifics, analysis from the outside is challenging. Since everything with Abramovich was pretty clear—if you won, you continued, and if you didn’t, you were out—I was waiting to see how the new owners would behave. Mourinho, Ancelotti, Conte, etc. were affected. The owner benefited from the clear and effective tagline. Because of his actions and demeanor at Brighton, Potter has earned my complete admiration in every manner as a coach. The issue is that a team the size of Chelsea cannot be ranked eleventh in the standings. There is nothing additional. The issue is not one of play but rather of outcomes and media pressure.
Do you think making that choice before such a crucial time in the season was really risky?
Anything like this is always dangerous, and the match versus Madrid will ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ if they were successful or not. The reverse occurred a couple of years ago. Tuchel joined and won the Champions League after they sacked Lampard, who was widely defended. You never know how something like this decision will pan out.
You profess to have enormous affection for Frank Lampard, who takes his place as a myth. What do you think about his coaching abilities?
He accomplished an outstanding job during his first year at Derby County, and the call from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 with several young guys from the Academy arrived at the perfect time. He was quite skilled at handling things, but when they gave him the star players and he lost, he departed. That is how football is played.
You have nothing to lose, which is to your benefit. The team is in poor health, but as soon as it gets better, it will become stronger, particularly if it advances beyond Madrid in the round.
You lost to Wolverhampton in your debut match. Could you take that as a ʙʟᴏᴡ to the soul?
It is ineffective. A change in technicians is supposed to result in an instant response, but that has not happened. I closely examined the game, searching for surprises, and I believe Chelsea’s issues go beyond a simple management change. He played a really bad game and only managed one sʜᴏᴛ on goal. They have a great chance to ʙᴇᴀᴛ Real since, in my opinion, not many people have high hopes for this Chelsea.
How do you anticipate approaching the matchup with Madrid, beginning with the Bernabéu leg?
Madrid is a two-faced squad that competes in both the League and the Champions League, so it is obvious that they closely study them and search for their weak areas. However, because we are familiar with the nature of the tournament, we can already picture the Real we will see. It is his domain.
I would place Manchester City and Bayern Munich next to Madrid. It will be a nasty match between the two.
If Ancelotti doesn’t win the Champions League, there is a chance he won’t stay at Real Madrid, according to ʀᴜᴍᴏʀs. Would leaving him out of the picture be a mistake?
from without, certainly. One of the greatest coaches in history, Ancelotti, is very unique. Madrid must triumph in any event, and if they don’t, we already know what will happen. Because Madrid needs him to continue, and because there isn’t a better replacement available, I would like to see him do so. If winning the Champions League is necessary to do that, I would like him to do it if Chelsea doesn’t.
They are determined to use every available strategy to support him in the CBF. Would he make a good coach for Brazil, in your opinion?
I believe he is a better day-to-day coach than the national team, where you only see the players once every two months, because of his qualities and the way he interacts with the player. In any event, Madrid may be the largest institution in the world, and it is where he lives, so I am certain that he would not change of his own volition.
When Tchouameni was a trainee there, you gave him his debut at Girondins de Bordeaux. He cost Madrid 80 million to acquire, but his output has declined. He only played 39 minutes in the pivotal league, cup, and Champions League matches against Liverpool and Barça, and he was sluggish against Villarreal. What sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇᴅ you?
When Madrid signed him, I was delighted for him and confident that Casemiro would be a great teacher for me. However, when Casemiro left, everything changed. In the first games he started, he was terrific because his adrenaline was through the roof, but when he was hurt, had to miss his team’s game in Paris to watch an NBA game, and now has to rebound, everything focused him. Sincerely, I wouldn’t sᴛʀᴇss too much.
Is he sure he’ll succeed in white in the end?
Yes. There is no question in my mind. Ancelotti will be able to control it.
What do you think about Camavinga’s emergence?
It is a situation resembling Tchouameni’s. He played very little or nothing during his rookie season, but he is now a show on the field and plays everything. He plays football quite well.
He managed Modric, who is approaching the age of 38, while serving as Juande Ramos’ assistant at Tottenham. Does he merit a fresh contract at Madrid?
Clear. He merits it. Even if he was an assistant, he is the best player I have ever coached. During the months I was with him, I observed him train and play, and I came to understand how exceptional he is. Years ago, I believed he would be the last of Luka, but he swears otherwise. He is at a very high level.
100% in conjunction with Darwin Nunez and Betancur. We have a back-and-forth, very European, best-in-class midfield, and our team’s future should be built on these individuals.
Never. I don’t know the reality of what happened but if I look at it from Valverde’s side I would have done the same. If something else happened, it will be known, but analyzing it according to Fede’s version, I think he fell short. There are limits when speaking. On the other side, they will sᴀʏ that he didn’t sᴀʏ anything to him. And Valverde punched him because it crossed his mind at that moment? If he were a conflicting player, we could think about it, but the worst thing I remember of him is the foul he made on Morata in the Super Cup when he was the last man and it’s a football action. That now he attacks another footballer without having anything in between sounds strange but we will have to wait. I hope it comes to nothing.
I have seen him especially in the South American, with the sub 20 team. He has a very nice future ahead of him.
A lot. It was a ʙʟᴏᴡ on the Madrid table, although he did not confirm it against Villarreal. I think there are too many matches in football today, the televisions pay a lot, they demand and it never stops. That makes it difficult to maintain a level of play, you have to dose the squad and when you don’t get it right with the rotations, setbacks come
We will see how we get there but his potential is tremendous. We must ʙᴇᴀᴛ the rest and ꜰɪɢʜᴛ against the greats. Since I joined my work team, I think we have a more winning mentality and a defined style of play, but it takes time to mature. We had a tremendous group in qualifying for the Euro Cup with France, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. I won’t go to the next raffle (laughs).
Due to the sports situation, yes, because of the last 20 games he had lost only one. That’s why it’s strange. Something else must have happened. There will have been a difference of opinion. In any case, Míchel was the third coach of the season and they are already on their fourth. I would have liked it to continue. In addition, we had a pending dinner. I was waiting for him to lose so that if he did after meeting me he wouldn’t accuse me of jinxing but since he never lost we couldn’t stay (laughs). He unfortunately left.