Pochettino has told two Chelsea players to do more for Chelsea

Photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino has tasked Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku to do more for Chelsea.

Palmer, who has arguably been Chelsea’s best player this season, struggled during the 4-1 loss to Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Nkunku has rarely played this season as a result of injuries.

Pochettino said of Palmer before the Wolves game: “He cannot be in a bubble when the performance isn’t so good. The influence of every single player is there. I think it’s not important in the place he starts at the beginning.

“If you see the game, he wasn’t a striker, he was playing like an offensive midfielder, sharing with Conor in the first-half. In the second-half, Nkunku was the No.9.

“We cannot put out of the context of the team. The performance wasn’t great and also for him.”

The 51-year-old also stated on Nkunku: “We need to care about his situation step by step, building his confidence and fitness.

“He needs to work really hard to get to his best. Happy with the way he’s helping the team, but we need to be careful when we push him to be the best.”

On the impact Nkunku can make, Pochettino said: “It’s good to see him but only that we need to anticipate things. 45 minutes was good after we wanted to work a little bit more after the game but he can’t. 45 minutes is enough for him.

“We need to analyze and assess him to see if he can start the next game. We hope he can cope with the demand of the game and maybe he can play more than just 45 minutes. We need to keep working with him.”