Mauricio Pochettino says players ought to pick who at Chelsea gets to take penalties
Mauricio Pochettino feels players should make a decision on who should take penalties after Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling argued over taking the spot in the Arsenal game.
Last season, the exit of Jorginho saw Kai Havertz awarded the responsibility to take the penalty, but this campaign, the Argentine manager believes he does not have to make a decision on who should take the penalty.
Cole Palmer has taken Chelsea’s last two penalties and has converted both of them, but given Sterling is senior to the former Manchester City player, there could be a dispute over taking penalties.
It won’t be an issue to see Palmer take penalties because he has converted them brilliantly and appears to have absorbed the strain while taking spot kicks. In fact, how he scores those penalties gives the impression that he is an expert at taking them.
Pochettino has finally given his thoughts on who will take penalties, and talking to the press, (h/t Football. London) he revealed:
“Look, there are few players that can take a penalty; it is about their feelings. We are a coaching staff, and we give them the possibility to decide on the pitch. It’s not only one player, or we can say, ‘Okay, 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, who was on the pitch to discuss who is more confident to take the penalty, I am happy with the decision.”
Taking a penalty is undoubtedly a significant deal because of the extreme pressure you are under at that precise moment. Palmer has demonstrated the confidence to convert them, and the fact that he scored against Arsenal offers him a good chance to start taking penalties for us, but other players would also like to take the spot kick.
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It is therefore hoped that players will resolve their differences amicably on the pitch and avoid making a big deal out of it, as it could negatively impact their relationship.