“I’ll say something about Cole Palmer…” Gary Neville criticises Chelsea talisman for post-match act | OneFootball

Gary Neville was on commentary duties for Sky Sports yesterday in their coverage of Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City, but it was something that happened after the full time whistle which really got him going.

Chelsea’s performance in the game wasn’t just bad, it was cowardly. They took the lead and then didn’t know how to play. They were happy to let City have the ball, let City find their feet, let City score 3 times, and then just go home.

Not just a poor performance, the sort that really frustrates fans. Nobody out there can really say they had a good day. Blame it on the goalkeeper as much as you like, the whole team was a disappointment. After their early celebrations, the away support just had to watch as their timid team let the opposition turn the game around.

Now what you want to see after that sort of showing is some character, and that’s what Neville took issue with. Cole Palmer trotted off the field and ended up chatting with Pep Guardiola, who did his usual full time coaching act on an opposition player after a win.

But instead of politely brushing him off, Palmer rather indulged his former manager and grinned along with him. This was what Neville really didn’t like, as you can see in the clip embedded below:

Palmer should think twice

Cole Palmer smiles and chats with Pep Guardiola (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“I’ll say something about Cole Palmer. He was talking to Pep Guardiola on the pitch right at the end of the game, and he was smiling, and Pep Guardiola does that … Cole, you’re being played. You’re being played here,” Neville said.

No Chelsea fan is going to get too annoyed with Palmer – he’s a complete star on the pitch, and it’s just a smile and a chat with a former coach. But it’s true that if you want to turn this team into killers and stop performances like the one yesterday, even this is probably going too far, at least in public.