Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has opened up about why the Blues failed to win the Premier League title during his time at the club, despite boasting a squad packed with talent. The Uruguayan, who played for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, believes the team prioritised style over substance.
“I think we were a team that played great football, it was beautiful to watch and to become champions you have to win games in an ugly way, whatever it takes to get three points on the table,” Poyet said. “We were not that team. We were a team who really made people enjoy watching us and that meant we needed to play well to win.”
Poyet, now 52, also reflected on his time as manager of Sunderland, where he orchestrated a famous Premier League escape in 2014. He praised the Netflix documentary ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’ for shedding light on the challenges managers face behind the scenes. “It just shows you that it is easy to talk about something you are not in and it shows what goes on behind the manager, letting people know how it isn’t his responsibility. At the end, though, it ends up being the manager’s responsibility,” he said.
The former midfielder also expressed a desire to return to management in England, having previously coached Brighton, Sunderland, and AEK Athens. He remains proud of his achievements at Sunderland, including beating Newcastle three times and reaching a League Cup final.
