The argument over who should take the penalty in Chelsea’s 6-0 victory over Everton has left manager Mauricio Pochettino “very unhappy,” and he has sternly cautioned his players not to do it again.
Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s usual spot-kick taker, scored his fourth goal after Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke disputed about who would take it.
Pochettino declared, “I can’t support this kind of attitude.”
“I informed them that I don’t want to see behavior like this again.”
He continued, saying: “After this performance, it is not possible to behave in this way. We must adapt and think as a team if we want to be a fantastic squad.”
Palmer’s eighth successful penalty kick of the game came in the 64th minute for the Blues. his ninth successful spot-kick of the season -following a bizarre 60-second confrontation involving five players.
Jack and Madueke initially ran after Malo Gusto’s ball, with Madueke arriving first and starting a 30-second exchange between the two. After that, Thiago Silva stepped in, and Jackson left.
Then, Captain Conor Gallagher came up to Madueke, motioning for Palmer to turn over the ball. Before Gallagher could seize the ball and give it to Palmer, Madueke turned down both of them.
The argument ended when Palmer and Gallagher had to force Jackson away. Jackson then returned to become involved, but Gallagher’s last shove on Madueke put an end to the argument.
All of the players are aware that Palmer is the official penalty taker, according to Pochettino’s post-game remarks.
The Argentine penalty taker, Argentine Ángel Di María, has apologised for the team’s recent struggle to convert penalties, stating that it is a process for a young team that needs to learn.
Di María has converted all nine penalties he has taken in the Premier League, with only former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure having a better 100% conversion rate. In a FA Cup quarter-final match against Leicester, Raheem Sterling missed a penalty with Palmer on the pitch, and Di María tried to play down the incident.
Dele Alli, an Exeter midfielder, saw the game differently, noting that it was Palmer’s second home hat-trick in a row, having scored a 100th-minute penalty in a 4-3 win over Manchester United earlier this month. Alli believes the team is showing their age and need to focus on the collective.
(BBC)
