LONDON: Mauricio Pochettino has promised his Chelsea side will attack Manchester City when they travel to the Premier League champions’ Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea and City drew a memorable game 4-4 at Stamford Bridge in November, with former City player Cole Palmer scoring a penalty in stoppage time for the hosts to snatch a point.
Chelsea have endured mixed fortunes since, losing half of their 12 league fixtures, though they could climb to a season-high seventh place with victory against Pep Guardiola’s side, depending on results elsewhere.
With 14 games to go, Chelsea have already scored three more league goals than they managed in the whole of the previous campaign, when only four sides netted fewer.
Chelsea manager Pochettino insisted there was no chance his team would sit and wait for City, who have lost just once at home in the English top flight in almost two years, to come on to them.
“If we go there and wait to see what’s going on, it’s a team that can dominate you and will make you suffer,” the Argentine said on Friday. “The most important thing we realized is that we need to attack, be able to run and to make the effort all together.
“The most important thing is to go there and be brave, to challenge them.”
Saturday’s game will be the first time Palmer has returned to the Etihad since his £40 million ($50 million) move to west London in September.
Before making the switch, the 21-year-old scored for City in this season’s Community Shield, which was lost on penalties to Arsenal, and in the UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla.
He is top scorer for his new club, with 12 in all competitions, and has been arguably the standout success of co-owner Todd Boehly’s £1 billion transfer spend.
Palmer had previously hinted he joined Chelsea because he feared he would not get sufficient game time at City.
“He’s not the type of player that needs to prove anything,” said Pochettino. I think he really is very grateful for his period at Manchester City, (but) he left the club because he wanted to find another challenge and to have the possibility to play more.
“Man City have an amazing squad. (Clubs) make decisions that we think are the best for the team. It doesn’t mean someone is not a good player.
“Sometimes the circumstance doesn’t match. Players want to leave, and you can’t stop them because you can’t provide the game time.”
Guardiola, speaking at his own pre-match press conference on Friday, said it was no surprise that Palmer had done so well.
“The stats and the way he is playing, he is already an exceptional player,” he said. “He got the minutes he wanted, and it was just a question of time — he has shown his quality.”
Pochettino vows Chelsea will attack Man City
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Pochettino vows Chelsea will attack Man City
- Chelsea and City drew a memorable game 4-4 at Stamford Bridge in November
- “The most important thing is to go there and be brave, to challenge them,” said Pochettino
China beat North Korea 2-1 to take top spot in Group B
- Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage
SYDNEY: Defending champion China edged North Korea 2-1 in a physical, high-energy game Monday to take top spot in Group B in the Women’s Asian Cup.
The result sent North Korea into a quarterfinal Friday against Australia in Perth, where the hosts and 2023 World Cup semifinalists opened the tournament with a win over Philippines.
China and North Korea were already assured of quarterfinal spots with two wins apiece ahead of their showdown at Western Sydney Stadium. Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage.
Playing in their first Women’s Asian Cup tournament since losing the 2010 final to Australia, North Korea only needed a draw against China to top the group. And they took the lead when Kim Kyong Yong finished off a counter-attacking goal in the 32nd minute, the first shot on goal in the game.
The lead was shortlived, though, with China equalizing two minutes later with Chen Qiaozhu’s stunning strike through traffic from the edge of the area.
China went ahead in a tense finish to the first half, when Wang Shuang’s goal was awarded after a VAR review deep in stoppage time.
The VAR decision to overturn the assistant referee’s offside call upset the North Korean players and led to coach Ri Song Ho being yellow carded by referee Thi Ly Le as his team protested on the sideline. The North Korean players didn’t return to the pitch before halftime was called.
Both teams had chances in the second half, with North Korea goalkeeper Yu Son Gum making a full-length diving save to Wang’s powerful left-foot shot in the 78th, and then 19-year-old Choe Il Son appearing to equalize two minutes later before being ruled offside after a VAR review.
In Perth, Dildora Nozimova scored twice in six minutes for Uzbekistan, her first just two minutes after entering the game as a substitute on the hour.
State of play
The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.
In Group A, South Korea edged Australia for top spot on goal difference after the 3-3 draw in Sydney on Sunday night. The South Koreans will play the third-place team from either Group B or Group C in the quarterfinals. Philippines still have a narrow chance of advancing after placing third, finishing with a win over Iran. That put Iran women’s team out of contention, and facing the prospect of a return to country at war.
In Group C, two-time champion Japan lead with six points ahead of their last group match against Vietnam, who are tied with Taiwan for second spot on three points. Taiwan finish the group stage against India.
