Brazilian outlet Sportv at the weekend had an interview with Chelsea fullback Emerson Palmieri, as they say he’s just had a ‘perfect week’ in Europe.
Besides scoring one of the goals in the Blues’ win against Atletico Madrid which led them to the Champions League’s quarter-finals, the player was also called up to be part of Italy’s squad which will play the first rounds of the World Cup qualifiers.
First talking about his goal, Palmieri claims that even his teammates didn’t expect him to score at such a crucial moment.
“It was even hard to get it on the day. I was very happy to be able to get in an important game like this and help in the qualification,” Emerson Palmieri told Sportv.
“It was a really cool moment even because of the reaction of my teammates. Jorginho had said that I was going to score a goal, and Thiago Silva had told him that if I did, he would throw himself off the stands. When the counter attack occurs, Thiago goes down the stairs, follows the move, and when the goal comes out, it’s an explosion of joy for everyone. It was a really cool moment.”
The player also spoke about the tie which placed Chelsea head to head with Porto in the quarterfinals.
“Porto are a great team in Europe. They eliminated Juventus and gave Manchester City some work in the group stage. It’s a team that scores a lot. They didn’t make it to the Champions League quarterfinals for nothing. So, we’ll prepare ourselves in the best way and try to maintain our style of play. Let’s go with everything. That’s what Chelsea will do, regardless of the opponent, but knowing that on the other side they have a team of many defensive and offensive qualities.”
With Chelsea making a big turnaround in the season and showing good results with Thomas Tuchel, Palmieri talked about the manager’s influence on their improvement in the past few months.
“Thomas arrived here and on the first day we noticed the organisation that his team has. He shows a lot of videos, details and information that help us a lot on the pitch. The team is well organised, and he’s doing a sensational job. We need to take advantage of this, get the best out of him. We entered the final stage of the season, we have the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League, and we just need to work out some details and keep doing what we are doing.”
The Brazilian also commented on the competition for a place in his position and how good it is for the squad to get to a higher level.
“This is good for me, because you’re playing with the best players in the world. Every day you have to do your best, and every day you have to dedicate yourself to the maximum, because you know that there’s a guy there who’s in your shadow, at a very high level.
“I’m with players from major national teams, I respect their work, and I’m also respected. And I believe that our group is very good, has a very nice union, and we are living a moment of great joy after qualifying in the Champions League and a good sequence in the Premier League.”
