What Joe Cole has said will happen if Chelsea don't beat Middlesbrough in League Cup semi-final tie

Ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole has warned Mauricio Pochettino that he'll attract unwanted 'heat' if his team fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening. The Blues trail Boro from the first leg but playing at home and with a squad worth around one billion pounds, Cole says the game is a must-win.

He is quoted by the Evening Standard: "It's a must-win game because to get knocked out by a Championship side would bring extra heat that's not needed at the moment.

"It's mostly important for the progress of the club and to allow Pochettino to keep doing what he is doing, as getting to another cup final would be epic for these players. 

"Since winning the Champions League, we've lost two or three finals and you don't want to become that team.

"We've got to get there first, and Pochettino must keep reminding people to be patient; we're the youngest squad in the Premier League, we need to get players fit, they are also young. So we need to trust in him and his good track record of developing young players."

Cole who won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup with the Blues also urged midfielder Conor Gallagher who has been linked to Tottenham all winter to snub the interest and create a legacy at Chelsea.

He added: "Conor Gallagher is a crucial one and is the face of the club.

"He's a captain in the leadership group, so to take him out of the team now would not be good. If I was advising him, I'd tell him he has a big future at Chelsea. I think what Jordan Henderson was to Liverpool, he can be that for Chelsea."

Chelsea enjoyed a three-day break after the win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge, but they have been back at the club's Surrey training base ahead of the game against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.