Chelsea face Newcastle in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night and the London club's capacity for self-destruction was evident when these two teams met in the Premier League last month. A second-half capitulation saw Pochettino's side lose 4-1 with Reece James shown a second yellow, prompting the manager to brand his players 'soft'.
Asked about the lack of 'Big Six' representatives left in the Carabao Cup on Monday, Pochettino said: 'I am not so happy because if you want to win the competition, we need to win the competition against us
'We are our own worst enemies. We have the possibility and we are ready to compete and fight in every single action, win the duels, and anticipate the things to be faster and stronger than them.
'At the moment, we are in a project where we are fighting against ourselves to be better.'.
On the importance of the Carabao Cup to Chelsea, Pochettino continued: 'I don't know which people are saying "Mickey Mouse Cup" but to be honest with you, we are not feeling this way.
'It is a really good opportunity to win. I saw for more than 10 years how clubs celebrate winning this cup. It is one of our objectives. We are taking it seriously and we are going to put out the best team possible as if we are playing for a final or for our lives.'
Pochettino is chasing his first trophy in English football, but the 51-year-old Argentinian claimed on Monday it is more important for Chelsea as a club to secure this silverware. For all their expenditure, they have not claimed any title since the Club World Cup in February 2022.
'You need to be in the right club, in the right moment, with all of the elements to win,' Pochettino said. 'To be an elite manager, it is not necessary to win titles.
'It is important to analyse every single project and say you can progress or not or deliver the job everyone expects. It is important, more than us, for the club because it is going to be a boost and energy and I really believe in the project.'
Pochettino reached the Carabao Cup final in 2015 with Tottenham, losing 2-0 to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Mourinho used to tell reporters that this competition was an important option for silverware early in the season.
'When we went to Tottenham, our first final was after nine months, 2015 against Mourinho and Chelsea,' Pochettino said. 'For us it was the same. It is for every single club, for every single coach. It is about when you are a club like Chelsea, you are thinking about winning trophies.'
Meanwhile, Chelsea are still debating whether James requires surgery after the captain injured his hamstring in their 2-0 loss to Everton last weekend.Â
Christopher Nkunku, their £52million summer signing, could make his debut as a substitute on Tuesday after making progress in training following knee surgery.
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