Coach Pochettino: 'Cole Palmer doesn't need to prove himself to Man City'

Ahead of today's FA Cup semi-final, manager Mauricio Pochettino has heaped praise on Cole Palmer - who moved from Man City earlier this season.

"We never judge when we sign a player," Pochettino said ahead of the Wembley game. "We always sign a player with the belief that they can shine. It's true that Palmer is performing very well, maybe even better than expected. But to be honest, he's still far from the initial expectations."

Palmer played just 19 games in three seasons for Man City and has yet to score in the Premier League. But the English midfielder has matured significantly since joining Chelsea for $50 million in the summer of 2023, with 25 goals and 13 assists in 41 games in all competitions. In the Premier League alone, Palmer has scored two hat-tricks and is leading the Golden Boot scoring charts with 20 goals, tied with Man City's Erling Haaland.

"This is Palmer's first season playing regularly. We have to be careful because Palmer is young and growing," Pochettino added. "Palmer is very grateful to Man City, Guardiola and has a lot of respect for them. Palmer understands that for different reasons he wants to prove himself at another club. But he has nothing to prove to another club."

Cole Palmer (No. 20) celebrates after scoring a penalty to equalize 3-3 in Chelsea's 4-3 comeback win over Man Utd in round 31 of the Premier League on April 4. Photo: Reuters.

Palmer is likely to be named in England's Euro 2024 squad, but Pochettino has warned his player not to be distracted by the increased attention and expectation. "Palmer probably needs to pay attention to other things that he hasn't done before, and that will affect how he looks after himself," the Argentina boss said. "How he rests, sleeps, uses his energy. We have experience in dealing with these kinds of things. Young players become big stars very quickly, but what if in the next few months or weeks he loses form? His life has changed."

In the 6-0 win over Everton in the 33rd round of the Premier League, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson competed for a penalty with Palmer - who was assigned to take the 11m penalty at Chelsea - and were criticized for being unprofessional. Pochettino said he had a meeting with all the players, as well as sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley to discipline and warn against repeating similar situations. The 52-year-old coach emphasized that discipline is the most important thing for Chelsea and believes his students will be more mature after the incident.

Pochettino sees Man City's 120 minutes and penalty shootout with Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals as an advantage for Chelsea. "When you play 120 minutes in the Champions League, the effort is huge and the emotions are not easy to recover when you miss the chance to reach the semi-finals. It will be difficult for them," he said.

However, Pochettino praised Man City for having a strong team and that they will not lose form as they have maintained their consistency over the past six or seven seasons. He sees meeting Man City - one of the strongest clubs in the world - as a challenge and also an opportunity for Chelsea to prove their ability.

Hong Duy

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