We all know the old saying: “When life gives you lemons, use them to wipe out the negative energy that affects your beloved sports team.”
Indeed, it may be something about making lemonade, but new Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino believes lemons serve a far greater purpose.
He keeps a large box of them in his office at the Premier League club’s training ground in Cobham, south London, having started doing it a few years ago on the advice of a friend. This is a manifestation of his broader spiritual belief in “energia universal”, a higher form of energy that people can connect with and even use if they open their minds.
Lemons have been given a wide range of symbols and spiritual meanings and uses in cultures around the world for 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 it in half and keep it in your fridge to avoid unwanted smells. They are credited with healing and purifying properties, and are even claimed to evoke positive energy, inspiration, personal growth, prosperity, luck and love. It is not clear at this time whether they can repair muscle or severe ligament damage.
Pochettino follows the belief that they absorb negative energy like a sponge from their surroundings, and even the people who visit his office.
He has also been known to keep a tray of lemons on his desk while manager of Tottenham Hotspur and tends to change it every 10 days, or sometimes sooner, as it is apparently tainted by all the bad vibes that they absorbed.
There has been precious little evidence of their positive impact in his short reign at Chelsea so far.
The club have won just one of Pochettino’s first six Premier League games in charge and are 14th in the 20-team Premier League despite advanced data suggesting performances are better than results. There is also an injury crisis at Cobham, with nine senior players out.
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But when asked during a press conference last week if it had been a disappointing start to the season – despite owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital committing more than £1billion ($1.2bn) to transfer fees for new players last year – shook his faith in the power of lemons, Pochettino remained strong.
“They started working after two years at Tottenham,” he said. “Give lemons time. This is something we all believe in. If you want to have good energy, you need to implement all the things you believe in.
“I believe in lemons, but at Tottenham they start working after one and a half, two years. They need a long time, they are not magic, but more than ever I still believe in them.
“Now in my office, I have yellow, green… different kinds, from Spain, from Italy. I don’t want to lie, there was a big box of lemons. I always thought yellow lemons were better than green ones but now I believe in any color – any color helps. If I could get a blue lemon (to match Chelsea’s kit), it would be even better.
In keeping with the philosophical tone of the press conference, the journalists present asked if the green lemon was just a lime. However, Pochettino rejected the idea. “Lime is not lemon,” he insisted. “It’s a sibling, maybe with a different mother or a different father.”
A compelling rejection, but perhaps the bigger question for Pochettino to ponder is whether Chelsea’s owners and supporters can let the bitter taste left by his team’s struggles be enough for his lemons have their desired effect.
(Top photos: Getty Images)