‘We actually wanted double figures’: Anjorin on the ruthless Chelsea mentality

Chelsea U18 booked a spot in the FA Youth Cup quarterfinals with a resounding 7-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night, but as team captain and star of the night, Tino Anjorin revealed to the official website, Chelsea wanted more.

“We actually wanted double figures because that’s the Chelsea mentality, to push and never ease up. The message from Ed [Brand, Under-18s manager] at half-time was to keep fighting and keep on going. Even though it took us a few minutes in the second half, we did that.”

All of Chelsea’s scoring was basically lumped into two short periods at the end of each half — 4 goals in 16 minutes in the first, 3 goals in just 7 minutes late in the second. It’s not such a bold claim to think that we could’ve used the well over an hour without goals to add a few more!

That may sound a bit ruthless and mean, but in a way, that’s the point. As Anjorin tells it, they’re being told to take their chances without mercy, which is certainly something that we could use at first-team level at the moment as well.

“It’s something that we’ve been asked to do [be ruthless] across the Academy as a whole. We haven’t been ruthless enough in front of goal — to be able to apply that tonight was a good feeling. It knocked the opposition down as well because they had the penalty miss and got punished for it.

“That’s what happens at the top level, you get punished for the chances you miss.”

-Tino Anjorin; source: Chelsea FC

Indeed.