Mauricio Pochettino offers Cole Palmer fitness update and questions Chelsea ‘maturity’

Mauricio Pochettino thinks Cole Palmer was just plain worn out during the 2-2 game against Sheffield United. He also thinks his Chelsea team isn’t quite grown-up enough to handle playing matches every three days.

Pochettino didn’t hold back his thoughts after his team missed out on a win at Bramall Lane because of a last-minute goal. Noni Madueke scored what seemed like the winning goal for Chelsea in the second half, but Sheffield United managed to equalize with a goal from Oli McBurnie in the 93rd minute.

When asked if Palmer was injured when he was subbed out in the 72nd minute, Pochettino said, “No, he wasn’t injured. He just looked tired to me. With the score at 2-1 in our favor, we had Carney (Chukwuemeka), who can play in that position too, ready to take over.”

Pochettino also explained why Chelsea keeps struggling against teams at the bottom of the table. He said, “Today’s draw is fair. We’re still figuring things out as a new team. Building a team takes time – it’s not something that happens overnight. I can tell pretty quickly whether the team is ready to handle playing so often. Maybe this group isn’t quite there yet.”

He acknowledged that tiredness is a factor but stressed that it shouldn’t be an excuse for not winning. Pochettino pointed out that they have excellent training facilities to help with fatigue. However, he admitted that Chelsea has been having trouble staying strong throughout the game, especially when it comes to conceding late goals.

Despite controlling the game and having more possession, Chelsea didn’t create enough scoring opportunities. Pochettino emphasized the need for his team to be more solid defensively while maintaining their attacking prowess.

In summary, Pochettino believes the draw was a fair result, but he’s aware that Chelsea needs to improve their consistency and resilience to achieve better outcomes in matches.