CHELSEA midfielder Cole Palmer attributed his team’s 3-1 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich to a critical loss of concentration during the match.
The Club World Cup holders made their return to Europe’s premier club competition after a two-year absence but were ultimately outplayed at the Allianz Arena.
An early own goal from Trevoh Chalobah, forced by Michael Olise, and a subsequent penalty from England captain Harry Kane put the German side in firm control.
Palmer provided a momentary spark of hope for the visitors by finishing an excellent team move to pull a goal back.
Harry Kane capitalised on a defensive error from Malo Gusto to score his second and secure all three points for the hosts.
“It was frustrating. I feel like we deserved more,“ Palmer told TNT Sports after the final whistle.
“We started well. We had early chances to score. But when you make mistakes at the highest level it’s hard to come back.”
The young midfielder insisted that the performance proved Chelsea can compete with the best teams in the competition.
“It’s a good learning curve. To be back in the competition is nice. We need to kick on from here.”
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged his team’s errors but emphasised the positive experience gained from the match.
“You cannot commit mistakes in the way we have done, but I told the players it’s a game where we can learn a lot and build something special from this defeat.”
Maresca pointed out the vast experience gap between the two sides but took encouragement from Chelsea’s ability to compete.
“In terms of experience, between them and us there’s a huge difference. But even with that, we showed we can compete right away in this stadium.”
Attention now turns to Chelsea’s next Champions League fixture, a home match against Benfica.
The Portuguese club looks set to be coached by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for that encounter.
Maresca expressed his anticipation for a potential Mourinho return to Stamford Bridge, labelling him a legend of both the club and the game. – AFP
