"I hate the people who abuse on social media" - Chelsea boss insists he's 'upset' with fans' reaction to Conor Gallagher incident in Burnley draw

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that he is upset with the fans for abusing Conor Gallagher following the Blues' 2-2 draw against Burnley. The Blues' academy graduate was subject to plenty of abuse from his own fans after a video on social media emerged where he appeared to ignore the club mascot.

Many fans felt that the England international insulted the club by not embracing the club mascot, resulting in abuse on social media. Now, Pochettino has come out in Gallagher's defence and shared his frustration with the incident. He said, as quoted by The Independent:

“That's upset me [the reaction]. No one wants to do something like this with this intention. I know Conor, Conor is a great, great kid. He cares about everything. I hate the people who abuse in social media. Please stop. We are all responsible. How do you know the intention of Conor is to ignore the mascot? It makes me very sad. Nobody deserves to be abused. Come on.”

Chelsea also released a statement following the incident, urging the fans to stop abusing the 24-year-old. The west London club's statement read:

“Chelsea Football Club is aware of a video clip circulating on social media from Saturday’s fixture against Burnley, which has been taken considerably out of context. The subsequent level of abuse and defamatory comments directed towards Conor Gallagher is completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”

Gallagher has been one of Chelsea's better players this campaign, which has been an otherwise forgettable one. The Englishman has been almost ever-present in Pochettino's starting XI either as a No. 10 or as a No. 8 and has also captained his boyhood club on a decent number of occasions.

The dynamic midfielder has contributed four goals and seven assists in 39 appearances across competitions this season. However, his future at Stamford Bridge is unclear, especially because of his contract expiring in 2025.

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Pundit claims in-form Chelsea star is being played out of position

Pundit Gab Marcotti has claimed that Cole Palmer is being played out of position by Mauricio Pochettino despite his scintillating run of form. While Palmer has been exceptional this season and has been the standout player for the Blues, Marcotti believes Palmer could be even more impressive if he is played in his favored role and position.

The Italian pundit insisted that Palmer could be more effective if he is played in a more central position. He has mostly been played on the right flank by Pochettino so far.

Marcotti said:

“What I would say about his numbers, there are a lot of penalties in there, and I also don’t think he’s found his right position at Chelsea. It’s not his fault, but when he plays wide on the right, he comes inside all the time, which is fine. Maybe he should be playing No.10, but then that puts an onus on the right-back, who’s Malo Gusto, so he is dealing with I think a lot of dysfunction around him and he takes everything in stride. So that’s certainly very encouraging."

Marcotti added:

"I’d love to see what he could do with a better assembled team around him, on a team that actually functions and produces the way the manager wants."

Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer in a deal worth £42.5 million and has been in an unbelievable run of form since. The 21-year-old has contributed 16 goals and 12 assists in 35 appearances across competitions for the Blues so far.