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Mauricio Pochettino says Cole Palmer was tired during the 2-2 draw at Sheffield United as he accused his Chelsea team of not being “mature enough” to compete in games every three days.
The Argentine delivered an honest assessment after an Oli McBurnie equaliser in the 93rd minute cost his side an important win at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Noni Madueke thought he had won the game for the Blues with a wonderful second-half strike after Jayden Bogle had levelled the scores after an early Thiago Silva goal.
But Chelsea’s late collapse killed any momentum earned from beating Manchester United with a stunning late show at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Asked whether star man Palmer was injured after coming off in the 72nd minute at Bramall Lane, Pochettino said: "No, no.
“I think he was tired. My feeling was he was tired. 2-1 for us, Carney (Chukwuemeka) is another No10 who can play there and do the job.”
Pochettino continued to explain why his Chelsea side keep dropping points against teams that are battling relegation, adding: “The draw today is fair result, it’s correct.
"We are talking a lot. It is a new team and we are learning. The process always takes time. It's not a magic thing. It's a project, a three- or five-year process to build a team.
“At 52-years-old, you identify really quick whether the team is ready to compete or not. Maybe this group is not mature enough to compete in games every three days.
"Of course the players were tired, but that is not an excuse today to not win the game in the end. They can be tired, of course, that is why we have an unbelievable training centre to provide everything.
"For different reasons, we struggle to compete in these types of games. We score, we are better, we are under control, but in a situation like this we concede from nowhere. It's about being more competitive.
"We are trying to find solutions but in the end because of the situation, it's not easy to be solid. We are trying to find solutions on how to be more solid.
"The first part of the season we were a little bit more solid but were not creating as much. Now we are scoring much but conceding more. It's difficult to find the balance.
"I want to say the draw is a fair result. Even if we control and have possession, we didn't create enough. We didn't show the capacity to be solid and be strong. That is the painful situation."