28 October 2023 , 10:03
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Mauricio Pochettino has explained his approach to choosing a penalty taker at Chelsea after Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer had an on-pitch disagreement.
Palmer has taken and scored Chelsea’s last two penalties and appears to have usurped Sterling as the first-choice taker since a £42.5million summer transfer from Manchester City. He scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in the 4-1 win over Burnley at the start of the month before netting another in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
But the goal against the Gunners came after an argument with Sterling about who was to take the spot-kick. Enzo Fernandez stepped in to mediate after the two were seen bickering following William Saliba’s handball, with captain Conor Gallagher absent.
Pochettino seemed unconcerned about the situation when he was asked about it ahead of Chelsea’s game against Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. He said: “Look, there are few players that can take a penalty, it is about their feelings. We are a coaching staff that we give them the possibility to decide on the pitch.
“It's not only one player, or we can say ‘OK, this player is going to be in charge' because it is about the feelings inside. I think Cole, at the moment, was great in the two penalties he has taken and of course after a conversation with Raheem or Nicolas Jackson or who was on the pitch to discuss who is more confident to take the penalty. I am happy with the decision.”
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Asked if that meant the players would decide between themselves, Pochettino replied: “Yes. Normally, I suppose it is going to be him if he is on the pitch and if not, I am happy with Raheem, Nico, with all of the players.
Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling argued over the penalty vs Arsenal (Michael Regan/Getty Images)“For me, it is most important to have the decision and the personality to go and take. After you can miss of course, because that is a penalty, many mistakes when missing a penalty. For me the most important is to be confident and to show the right attitude.”
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was impressed with Palmer’s confidence and cool head from the spot against Arsenal. “He’s getting more pressure from his teammates,” he said on Sky Sports. “But what he does really, really well, and penalty taking isn’t easy, when the referee blows his whistle, he waits.
“He calms everybody down and he breaks the momentum of the goalkeeper. And then he takes it. And that for me is confidence and having something, a little bit of arrogance, which is allowed.”
Palmer has never missed a penalty in his professional career, scoring twice for Chelsea and four times for Manchester City under-18s. Sterling, meanwhile, has a poor record, having scored four and missed four, with all of the mistakes coming during his time with City.