Carabao Cup: Merson defends Chelsea star, warns Pochettino

Arsenal legend, Paul Merson has come to the defense of Chelsea forward Cole Palmer ahead of the Blues’ Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg tie against Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Merson, a former footballer known for his insightful analyses, also issued a warning to Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino in anticipation of the crucial clash with Middlesbrough.JAMB Result

Cole Palmer faced criticism for missing key chances during the semi-final first-leg encounter earlier in the month, which resulted in a 1-0 loss for Chelsea against the Championship club.NYSC Portal

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Merson, however, has expressed his support for Palmer, indicating that the young forward should not be overly scrutinized for missed opportunities. The legendary Arsenal figure may believe that Palmer deserves understanding and encouragement, particularly in high-stakes matches like the Carabao Cup semi-final.

In addition to defending Palmer, Merson issued a warning to Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, implying that there are aspects of concern or potential pitfalls that the team should be wary of as they face Middlesbrough.informationguidenigeria

As the Carabao Cup semi-final unfolds, the spotlight will be on how Chelsea responds to the challenges posed by Middlesbrough, and the performance of players like Cole Palmer will undoubtedly be under scrutiny.

“If they [Chelsea] did lose to Middlesbrough, where would it leave Mauricio Pochettino? Middlesbrough will try to get out and frustrate Chelsea,” Merson told Sky Sports.

“They have got to take it in segments, maybe 10 minutes or 20 minutes at a time. Middlesbrough just need to get through the first 20 minutes but if they don’t, I will be shocked. Chelsea don’t blow teams away so Middlesbrough will be in this game for a long time.JAMB Portal

“Cole Palmer just had one of those days in the first game. He’s a top player and I don’t look at that performance and go, ‘He can’t do it at the top level’ – he got in the positions but he’s not a natural finisher.

“No disrespect to him but when he went through one-on-one and dragged it past the post, that is normal. It just showed it didn’t fall at his feet the other day.”