Mauricio Pochettino heaps praise on Chelsea trio after Newcastle win

Mauricio Pochettino has lavished praise on three Chelsea stars for their performance in their Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on Monday night (11 March).

The Blues won 3-2 against the Magpies courtesy of goals from Nicolas Jackson (6'), Cole Palmer (57'), and Mykhailo Mudryk (76'), who came off the bench for Raheem Sterling in the second half.

Pochettino lauded the Chelsea goalscoring trio for getting on the scoresheet. First, on Palmer, the Argentine said after the game (per the club's official website):

"He is doing well. He arrived on the last day of the transfer window but it was easy for him to adapt to the team and the demands of the coaching staff. I think he is showing his quality and how he can link the game. He is fantastic, he is getting more mature every day. He still needs to improve but is doing a very good job."

He added on Jackson:

"Of course, he [Jackson] is improving. We need to understand the players when they are young and arrive from outside of England. They need time to learn the Premier League."

"They also need their teammates to perform, but he is doing really well. The effort is there, you see that with how he presses, and he has the quality. With more games and more experience, he is going to be more calm and more clinical in front of the goal."

While praising Mudryk for his impact off the bench, Pochettino advised the Chelsea star to compete fiercely in order to break into the starting XI. He said:

"I think it was a very good goal. That is what we expect of a player who came from the bench – have an impact. He now has to compete with different players in the position he can play. It [whether he can become a starter] is more a question for him than for me."

The Blues will next face Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday (17 March).

"The relationship is good" - Pochettino speaks on Chelsea owners after Newcastle win

Chelsea have struggled to maintain consistency in their form this season under Mauricio Pochettino. The west Londoners are sat 11th in the Premier League table after 11 wins, six draws, and 10 defeats this campaign.

The Blues find themselves 16 points astray of the top four and look set to miss out on Champions League football for the second consecutive season. As a result of their poor performances, Pochettino has faced significant scrutiny.

Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have shown little to no patience when it comes to managers, with the club seeing Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard at the helm all in one season.

However, Pochettino insists that his relationship with the owners remains friendly and intact. He said after the Newcastle win (via football.london):

"Yes, he [Boehly] came with his son, and I think Behdad [Eghbali]. All of the owners were there. Yes, it was a nice chat, only a few minutes because I needed to come for the interview and the press conference. Yes, it was good, the relationship is good."