Mauricio Pochettino criticised for 'crazy' Chelsea Cole Palmer claim as sack pressure mounts
Michail Antonio and Tom Cairney have expressed their disbelief at Mauricio Pochettino's pre-match comments ahead of Chelsea's 5-0 defeat away at Arsenal. The Argentine's comments were put under the microscope after he had urged his squad to step up and show they're more than just 'Cole Palmer FC'.
Arsenal delivered a dominant performance against their London rivals on Tuesday night, intensifying the pressure on Manchester City in the title chase. Leandro Trossard was quick off the mark, netting the opener within four minutes, while Chelsea missed key opportunities to level the score before the break.
The second half saw Kai Havertz and Ben White both bagging braces, piling on the misery for the Blues, as Arteta's men took full advantage of Chelsea's defensive frailties to potentially boost their goal difference even further.
Pochettino's comments about Palmer have thus been met with confusion, especially given the team's over-reliance on the former Manchester City talent. On Monday, the ex-Spurs boss stated: «It is a good challenge if Palmer is not available tomorrow. It's a good challenge for his teammates or those in a similar position.»
«If I were them, I would be motivated to go there tomorrow and show that this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.»
West Ham star Antonio laughed at how the 48 hours panned out when speaking on The Footballer's Football Podcast, saying: «What is crazy is the gaffer comes out and saying Cole Palmer FC, and then he gets ill, and this 5-0, it can't be written any better than that.»
Every word Mauricio Pochettino said on Chelsea injuries, Palmer, Aston Villa, Arsenal 'disaster'
Chelsea get huge Cole Palmer injury update vs Aston Villa with triple blow confirmed
Cairney added
Read on football.london
