"Can't accept this kind of behaviour": Chelsea coach Pochettino on players clash over penalty
Apr 16, 2024
New Delhi [India], April 16 : Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino sent a strict warning to Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke after the duo clashed with Cole Palmer over a penalty during the Premier League clash against Everton.
Chelsea stood victorious with a 6-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge, London on Tuesday. During the game, Jackson, Madueke and Palmer got into a heated dispute over Chelsea's penalty.
The incident occurred when Jackson and Madueke rushed to get the ball from Malo Gusto to take the penalty. After the heated exchange between the two players, Thiago Silva intervened to try to settle the situation.
However, Silva's efforts went in vain as Madueke remained adamant about taking the spot kick. Chelsea skipper Conor Gallagher tried to defuse the situation by asking the forward to hand the ball to Palmer. However, Madueke refused, which led to Gallagher forcibly taking away the ball and handing it to Palmer.
"I can't accept this kind of behaviour. I told them it's the last time I want to see this kind of behaviour. It is impossible to have this type of behaviour after this performance. If we want to be a great team, we need to change and think in a collective way. They're all involved in this situation. Next time they're all out. This is not a joke. The penalty taker is Palmer. It's Palmer who needs to decide if he wants to give the ball to a teammate. It's important to fix. They realise now," Pochettino said as quoted from Goal.com.
"It's a shame. It's a process for a young team who needs to learn a lot. I want to apologise to the fans. We need to be focused on the collective. It's like we are in a school, and our job is to show them they were wrong so they can learn. There will be no punishment, but this can't happen again. If Palmer is on the pitch, he is the penalty taker," he added.
Coming to the match, Cole Palmer struck a hattrick and converted the penalty to score four goals out of six in Chelsea's victory.
Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist scored a goal each to make the scoreline 6-0, sending Chelsea to the ninth spot with 47 points.
