Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has apologised to head coach Xabi Alonso and his team-mates after being sent off during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues were trailing 1-0 in the second half when Palmer received two yellow cards in quick succession, first for a clash with Mateus Fernandes and then for a stamp on Conor Gallagher. Chelsea's evening unravelled after going down to ten men, with Mathys Tel's solo effort sealing the 2-0 loss.
Alonso confirms conversation
Speaking at full-time, Alonso said he would address Palmer's growing discipline issues, and on Tuesday he provided an update on their conversation.
"We spoke," he confirmed. "He knows the mistake he made. It's things he can avoid. Let's hope it's not going to be repeated. He's mature. It was a mistake."
Pressed on whether the red card had damaged Palmer's standing in the squad, Alonso added: "His team-mates know how special he is."
Selection questioned
Alonso's team selection and tactics against Tottenham have been widely questioned. With Joao Pedro injured, he moved Morgan Rogers to centre-forward and deployed Premier League debutant Geovany Quenda as a number 10 behind him, leaving Danny Welbeck and Estevao on the bench.
Asked whether he regretted his selection, Alonso said: "We were not happy with the result, with the performance. It was a big game and there were many things that could have gone better. Details as well that were important. Reflection, but we moved on and now the focus is just on Liverpool."
He added that he wants Chelsea to be more efficient in possession: "What I want is to win the game. I want that we are better with the ball. I think that we can do better and we were not at our best. It's not that significant. The possession can be 60%, it can be 40%, 30% as long as you create chances and you have chances to score goals and win games. That's the most important."
