Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has conveyed a message to his players, Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer, emphasizing the importance of celebrating if they score against Manchester City in the upcoming Premier League clash at Etihad on Saturday evening.
Both Sterling and Palmer were former players at Manchester City, and in a previous encounter earlier this season, they scored in a 4-4 draw against Pep Guardiola’s side, opting for subdued celebrations as former City players. However, Pochettino has now urged the English stars to express joy in their celebrations this time if they find the net against the host.
In his pre-match press conference, Pochettino stated, “If they celebrate, it is football. If they don’t celebrate and want to show respect, OK, but I think when you score a goal, you need to celebrate. You kill your former club and after you say ‘sorry.’ When you play for different shirts and badges and clubs, you cannot stop your feelings.”
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He continued, “When you score, it is the most beautiful feeling in your body, and you cannot go, ‘Argh, no, I don’t want to celebrate.’ You need to. You are now playing for another team. You showed respect when you were there, and you gave everything to the club and the badge and the people. But now you defend another shirt; you need to celebrate because you are part of another history.”