Pochettino reveals who to blame for drama between Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling in FACup win against Leicester City
Mauricio Pochettino open up drama between Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling during FA Cup win vs Leicester City
Mauricio Pochettino insists he has no issue with Cole Palmer allowing Raheem Sterling to take a penalty following Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Chelsea took an early lead through Marc Cucurella at Stamford Bridge and had the chance to double their advantage from the spot.
Palmer, who has scored all five of his penalties since joining Chelsea from Manchester City last summer, took the ball but then passed it to Sterling after a brief exchange with his teammate.
Sterling, however, saw his effort saved by Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
When asked about Palmer’s decision to let Sterling take the spot-kick after Chelsea’s win, Pochettino replied: ‘I think you know very well that is Cole.
‘But Cole gave the ball to Raheem, I think they have a very good relationship, it came from, of course, Manchester City, when they were both at Manchester City.
‘When Raheem asked for the ball to take the penalty I think Cole gave [the ball], I’m sure you can see the TV.
‘But that is not a problem, Cole can miss, Raheem can miss, for me their decision is theirs.
‘Of course, I’ll always support the decision of my players on the pitch.
‘That is about to grow, be more mature, I’m always happy we take a decision.’
Sterling was also heavily booed by Chelsea fans in the second half after he pulled rank on Palmer once again to take a close-range free kick, however, his wayward effort went high into the stand behind the goal.
‘We need to support him, he’s an amazing player. He has more than 10 years experience in the Premier League,’ Pochettino said of Sterling in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.
‘Of course I think the contribution was good. He was a little bit unlucky with some actions where he should have scored, but we are a team and we need to be there for everyone.
‘Fans are entitled to show their emotion. For us, we try to emphasise with our fans not to criticise. They want the best for our team and players, but we are in a project.
‘We need support and to really believe. We are trying to build something. We are in a process to build the team. I know really well how to manage.
‘What the fans want is to win the game and that [is what] we achieved. What the fans want is to go to Wembley and that [is what] we achieved. They need to trust me to manage in the way I think is the best way for the club.
‘We need to respect their opinion as much as they need to respect my decision.’