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We all know the old saying: “When life gives you lemons, use them to eradicate the negative energy affecting your expensive sports equipment.”
In reality, it could have been something to do with making lemonade, but new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino believes lemons serve a much broader purpose.
He keeps a large box of them in his office at the Premier League club’s training ground in Cobham, south London, and started doing so several years ago on the advice of a friend. It is a manifestation of his broader spiritual belief in “universal energy,” a higher form of energy that people can connect with and even harness if they open their minds.
Lemons have been given a wide range of symbolic and spiritual meanings and uses in cultures around the world over the centuries.
They are considered a sacred fruit in the Hindu faith. In other places they have been used to drive away evil spirits. And you can also cut them in half and store them in the refrigerator to avoid unwanted smells. They are attributed with healing and purifying properties, and it has even been stated that they generate positive energy, inspiration, personal growth, prosperity, luck and love. It is unclear at this time whether they can heal serious muscle or ligament injuries.
Pochettino believes that they can absorb negative energy from their surroundings, and even from the people who visit their office, like a sponge.
He was also known for keeping a tray of lemons on his desk while he was manager of Tottenham Hotspur and tends to replace them every 10 days, or sometimes sooner, as they apparently become contaminated with all the bad vibes they have absorbed.
Pochettino talks about Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill through his mindset (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
So far there has been very little evidence of his positive impact in his brief reign at Chelsea.
The club has won just one of Pochettino’s first six Premier League games and is 14th in the 20-team Premier League despite advanced data suggesting performances have been markedly better than results. There is also an injury crisis at Cobham, with nine senior players sidelined.
GO DEEPER
Crisis in Pochettino’s Chelsea? They’re actually playing pretty well.
But when asked during a press conference last week whether this deeply disappointing start to the season, despite owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital committing more than £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in transfer fees, for new players over the past year, had shaken his belief in Thanks to the power of lemons, Pochettino remained optimistic.
“They started working after two years at Tottenham,” he said. “Give the lemons time. It’s something we all believe. If you want to have good energy, you must implement all the things you believe in.
“I believe in lemons, but at Tottenham they started working after a year and a half, two. They take a lot of time, they are not magic, but more than ever I continue to believe in them.
“Today in my office I have yellows, greens… of different types, from Spain, from Italy. I don’t want to lie, there is a big box of lemons. I always thought yellow lemons worked much better than green ones, but now I believe in any color; any color can help. “If I could get a blue lemon (to match the Chelsea kit), it would be even better.”
Following the philosophical tone of the press conference, the journalists present asked if a green lemon is simply a lime. Pochettino, however, ruled out that idea. “A lime is not a lemon,” he insisted. “He’s a brother, maybe with a different mother or a different father.”
A compelling answer, but perhaps the most important question for Pochettino to ponder is whether Chelsea’s owners and supporters can tolerate the bitter taste left by their team’s struggles long enough for their lemons to have the desired effect.
(Main photos: Getty Images)