"They will be benched!" Mauricio Pochettino names three players whose performance against Manchester City suggest they would be rested for the next games.

 Chelsea boss, Mauricio Pochettino, has blamed his side’s profligacy for their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.

The Blues dominated most of the game, but failed to convert the chances that fell their way.

Nicolas Jackson was the main culprit, as he fluffed his lines over and over. The defeat means Chelsea will finish the campaign trophyless.

Pochettino, speaking on BBC One, said: “It is so easy to explain. We conceded in a moment you should not concede. We were not capable of being clinical in front of goal, we had many chances but we did not score.

“I think in the game we were a little bit better and deserved more, but it is not about deserving it, it is about being clinical and we were not today." 

This suggests that Nicolas Jackson whose performance was nothing short of shambolic may not lead the club's attack going forward. 

 Chelsea's defense was also to blame. Ben Chilwell who had a match rating of 5/10 was not his usual self. Caicedo was also reckless with his tackles even after shown a yellow card in the first half. 

Noni Madueke is another case study. 

Noni Madueke risked the wrath of Chelsea supporters after he was seen joking around with Manchester City ace Jack Grealish following his side's exit from the FA Cup. The winger was spotted in the background of footage of Thiago Silva in tears after the loss- an action that has sparked anger and resentment from Chelsea fans. 

I wanted to move on from the penalty incident but Madueke laughing after the full time whistle with Grealish whilst others looked visibly gutted, is not good enough for Chelsea Football Club. Also had the night club incident, I wouldn’t be against a sale in the summer.

— Pys (@CFCPys) April 20, 

 

Madueke has been  in the news for the wrong reasons recently. This comes after Madueke was once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons earlier in the week, with the England youth international caught up in Chelsea's penalty saga against Everton. Madueke was one of three players jostling to take a spot-kick against the Toffees - something Pochettino was quick to blast after the game.

A game suspension on bench could also correct his unprofessionalism. 

Done with Madueke, I know footballers are human and can have a laugh and a joke etc.

But when you’re more upset because you cant take a penalty than you are about losing an FA Cup semi final, something is wrong with your mentality. #CFC

— Kieran ⭐️⭐️ (@KizzleKicks7) April 20, 2024

Moving forward,  Chelsea face the Gunners on Tuesday and they can only hope on securing a spot in European football.  And on that, Pochettino said:

"The focus is on the game next Tuesday, there is not too many games to recover and it is going to be another tough game. Of course we need to win in a positive way to try to win more league games and get close to the position of being in Europe."