Chelsea were missing Cole Palmer during their loss to Arsenal, and Mauricio Pochettino’s squad failed to step up without their talisman in another disappointing performance.
Mauricio Pochettino challenged his team to show they are not reliant on Cole Palmer, only to see them lose 5-0 against Arsenal. Chelsea travelled to the Emirates without their talisman, who was out due to injury. Palmer has proven to be an outstanding addition at Stamford Bridge, and he is by far their greatest player this season. During his absence, the Blues were unable to compete with their London rivals.
Pochettino had a rough initial season with Chelsea, but he faced his lowest point against Arsenal, as they conceded five goals without reply on another forgettable evening. The Argentine had sought to motivate his teammates by daring them to step up without Palmer, but they failed spectacularly.
The day before the contest he said: “It is a good challenge in case Palmer is not available. It’s a good challenge for the teammates. If I am a teammate of Cole Palmer in his position or a similar position, I am going to be motivated to go there tomorrow and show this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”
Pochettino also denied that players were jealous of Palmer’s performance, saying, “No, it is a good example for them – why is he doing so well and why aren’t they capable of doing the same. It is a worthwhile task. They are not envious. They merely want the same medication we give Palmer! That’s a joke! They inquire, ‘What you are doing for Palmer, we want the same.'”
Palmer has come up with countless important moments to get Chelsea out of danger, but their top scorer could not aid them on Tuesday night. Despite his absence, the Blues had a lot of pricey signings on the pitch, many of which have yet to justify their high prices.
Enzo Fernandez cost more than £100 million, however he was removed midway through the competition. Moises Caicedo was unproductive, while Mykhaylo Mudryk, who was linked with Arsenal in January, made little influence on the game before being substituted.
Leandro Trossard scored Arsenal’s first goal in just a few minutes with a powerful strike. Ben White made it 2-0 before Kai Havertz scored two fast goals against his former team. White then added to his personal tally to complete the score.
