(Reuters) – Chelsea squad must band together and give their all in the seven games remaining to move up in the Premier League standings, defender Trevoh Chalobah said after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.
With their last hope of silverware crushed, ninth-placed Chelsea visit leaders Arsenal in the league on Tuesday as the twice Champions League winners attempt a late bid to qualify for European football next season.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s side face a tough challenge ahead with matches against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chelsea, who spent over 400 million pounds ($494.84 million) to bring in 13 new players last year, have been inconsistent and underperforming this season. Pochettino also urged his young squad to be more disciplined after players were seen arguing on the pitch last week.
“What we have to do is learn from these types of experiences,” Chalobah told the club website after their hard fought FA Cup loss. “We have to really focus and get the boys together because we’ve got another seven finals ahead of us to make things right.”
“We want to show up for the fans and get the club where it should be up the table.”
Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic also echoed Chalobah’s call.
“We are sad and disappointed but tomorrow we will prepare ourselves for recovery. We will continue (trying) because we still have chances in the Premier League to reach Europe,” said Petrovic.
($1 = 0.8083 pounds)
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
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