Chelsea players ‘love’ Pochettino and must fight for him, says Palmer

Chelsea’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts during the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at The City Ground in Nottingham, central England, on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR ‘LIVE’ SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO VIDEO EMULATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO USE IN BETTING PUBLICATIONS, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. /

Cole Palmer says Chelsea players “love” under-pressure manager Mauricio Pochettino and must fight for him as they target a European spot after an inconsistent season.

The Argentine boss’s future has been a source of ongoing debate during his first campaign at Stamford Bridge.

But the Blues, who finished a lowly 12th last season, need just a point at home to Bournemouth on the final day of the campaign on Sunday to clinch sixth position.

That would mean they would qualify for either the Europa League or the UEFA Conference League depending on various permutations.

The Blues head into the weekend on the back of Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Brighton, during which in-form attacking midfielder Palmer opened the scoring during Chelsea’s fourth straight victory.

“For it to be in our hands to get sixth place is big for us,” Palmer told Chelsea’s website.

“Hopefully we can do it. Chelsea is a big club, everyone wants to finish higher than sixth but we have to look at where we’ve been at the start of the season, throughout the season.”

The 22-year-old England international added: “We’ve