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Chelsea dressing room's reaction to Mauricio Pochettino comments speaks volumes
Chelsea drew 2-2 with relegation-battling Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that his side were in agreement with his assessment of their draw with Burnley on Saturday. The Blues were forced to settle for a point against Vincent Kompany’s side, despite leading twice.
After a slow start, Burnley were reduced to 10 men in controversial fashion in the 40th minute when Lorenz Assignon was adjudged to have brought down Mykhaylo Mudryk inside the penalty area and thus given his second yellow card – with Cole Palmer scoring the resulting spot-kick.
The Clarets hit back quickly after half-time though after a sensational volley from Josh Cullen nestled into the far corner before Palmer restored his side’s lead by finishing off a neat passing move. Burnley, again, responded emphatically when Dara O’Shea nodded home a soft equaliser.
Chelsea pushed for a decisive goal late on but they were unable to make their pressure pay, with the team leaving the pitch to a chorus of boos from the home crowd as a result. Pochettino was not afraid to take aim at his side after the match, insisting that the ‘facts’ and ‘reality’ of the situation was clear.
The Blues’ struggles were then underlined further when their manager admitted that the team were not working as a unit. The ex-Tottenham boss explained: “We need to be more like a team, we need to find better communication, we need to be more competitive.”
Pochettino went on to explain that his dressing room were accepting of the analysis of their manager, claiming that they ‘100 per cent agree’ that there was a lack of character and hunger on show at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer was one of the few players to leave the pitch with his head held high after another dazzling display by the England international, who took his tally to 13 goals for the campaign and matched Eden Hazard’s record of scoring in five consecutive home matches.
Asked about the former Manchester City star, Pochettino said: “It’s so obvious that he is a good example for the rest. From day one he has taken the responsibility. And you see when the team struggles for solutions they give the ball to him.
“The dressing room is really down because we know we should go on and win this game. Of course, he (Palmer) cannot be happy. Of course, he’s disappointed.”