Mauricio Pochettino has justified calling out his players ahead of Chelsea’s dramatic 4-3 victory against Manchester United, telling TNT Sports that they still "need to understand" the demands of playing in the Premier League. Pochettino was full of praise for Cole Palmer, who scored a crucial hat-trick against United. Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table after their victory.
Chelsea
manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted his players still "need to
understand" the demands of competing in the Premier League.
Pochettino made his comments after Chelsea’s dramatic 4-3 victory against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge
The hosts had led 2-0 by the 19th minute, but capitulated thereafter to see United turn things around to take a 3-2 lead.
Cole Palmer came to the rescue for Chelsea, scoring two stoppage-time goals to secure an astonishing victory
United
had still been leading with 99 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock,
setting a new Premier League record for the latest a team has led in a
match they went on to lose.
Pochettino
had called out his players for falling into a "comfort zone" ahead of
the match, having been held to a 2-2 draw against Burnley last weekend.
He
justified his comments after the win against United, explaining that he
had told the players the same thing at the training ground.
"We have a very young squad," he told TNT Sports. "Some players have experience but only few, the rest is so young.
"They
need to understand also that we cannot compete in the way that we
compete against Burnley. It’s so disrespectful for us first, and then
for the opponent. We are in a club where the demand is so high and they
need to understand that.
"We
need to always try to do more. We lose two points against Burnley,
disappointing for us but it's really upset me because these guys, they
need to realise what it means to compete in the Premier League and for
big things."
Palmer was the standout player for Chelsea, with his two stoppage-time goals rounding off a crucial hat-trick against United.
The 21-year-old has been described as a "wonderful talent" by TNT Sports expert Rio Ferdinand, with Pochettino doubling down on the praise.
"The
first conversation that we had in August – it was the connection. When
we met for the first time in the training ground in my office. That was
the connection that you need for the player to trust in you and for you
to give the facility to play.
"I
think he deserves massive credit, because he arrived from Manchester
City to Chelsea very late in the transfer window, and he’s shown his
character.
"His
character is the most important thing. We can talk about talent, we can
talk about everything, but when he arrived he was like, 'what do I have
to do, because I want to play every single game and I want to perform, I
want to help the team to win games.'
"For
me, his mentality, his capacity to deal with the pressure, is amazing.
He still can improve, but I think it's amazing the way that he adapted
here."
Chelsea, who are currently 10th in the Premier League table, continue their season against Sheffield United on Sunday.
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