Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is "confident" that he will be given time to make his mark at Stamford Bridge despite a disappointing first season at the club.
The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool in the EFL Cup final on Sunday afternoon, while they currently sit down in 11th position in the Premier League table.
Chelsea are nine points behind sixth-placed Manchester United in the race to qualify for Europe next season, and there have been question marks surrounding Pochettino's future in recent weeks.
However, the former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur head coach has said that he is "confident" he has the support of senior figures at the club.
"Why not? I am confident," Pochettino said when asked whether he was confident he had the sufficient backing from inside the club. "Until they decide to tell me something else. But at the moment, I don't think they are going to tell me anything different.
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"We wanted to win the Carabao Cup. We want to win the FA Cup. We want to win the Premier League. Now it's tough.
"It's the reality, but before the start of the season, it was always the objective [to qualify for Europe and win trophies].
"Now our reality is to see if we can qualify to play in Europe next season, but of course, it's going to be tough because of the circumstances and because of the reality.
"I feel the support from them (owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali). I cannot lie to you. When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset that I was nearly crying. When I arrived there [at the top of the steps], it was so difficult to stop myself.
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"But when I saw Behdad, I saw Todd, and I shook hands with both of them, one of them with one hand, the other with my other hand.
"Then I got a text later, a very, very nice text from Todd, which I can show. Then I met Behdad [Eghbali] two hours later, away from Wembley in London.
"He was really, really good and was disappointed like everyone but happy with the performance in 90 minutes. But knew we couldn't keep that energy in extra time. I think people are clever enough to understand."
Chelsea will be bidding to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup when they welcome high-flying Championship outfit Leeds United to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The Blues will then switch their attention back to the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, facing a trip to a Brentford side that have fallen into relegation trouble in recent weeks.
Matt Law
