“It’s a good feeling to end the year 2023 in this way,” said Mauricio Pochettino after Chelsea’s second consecutive victory, Saturday at Luton (3-2) where the Blues nevertheless struggled at the end of the match .
“It’s been a really big week. Next year we will start in a positive way and it is a good feeling to end the year 2023 in this way,” reacted the Argentine coach to the BBC, three days after a 2-1 success against Crystal Palace . Chelsea led 3-0 in the 70th minute before giving themselves a scare at the end of the game, conceding two goals and being saved twice by their crossbar.
“In the first half, we managed very well, in the second we started to concede crosses and corners. At 3-0, the match seems to be over but in the Premier League it’s never over,” said Pochettino.
“We need to show better ability to handle this type of situation,” he admitted, while congratulating Luton. He said he was “happy” with the goals scored by Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke, both 21 years old. “We are talking about a young team and young players who show that they have the quality to perform well,” he summarized. The Argentinian said he held his breath on Palmer’s second goal, scored after a roulette and a finely placed shot. “We waited, waited, waited to see when he was going to finish the action,” he smiled.
“That’s why they call him ‘Cold Palmer’, isn’t it!” Noni Madueke also joked to salute the coolness of his teammate, “cold” meaning “cold” in English. “We have to move forward step by step,” commented the winger, questioned by TNT Sports about Chelsea’s ambitions in 2024. “After the match against Palace, I talked about consistency. Two consecutive victories give us confidence. If we continue like this, we will be in the running at the end of the season. Alongside him, Palmer was pleased with his debut with Chelsea, who he joined this summer from Manchester City.
“I hope this is just the beginning. I have adapted to a new life, to new teammates, to the city… I hope to be able to show even more things on the pitch,” said the English winger, credited with eight goals after the 20th day.
