Chelsea Were Own Worst Enemies in Burnley Draw, Says Palmer

Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Chelsea Were Own Worst Enemies in Burnley Draw, Says Palmer

Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)

Chelsea have shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions throughout the season and were simply not good enough defensively in their 2-2 Premier League draw to 10-man Burnley, attacker Cole Palmer said.

Palmer's two goals were cancelled out by strikes from Josh Cullen and Dara O'Shea as Chelsea dropped points despite having a man's advantage over relegation-threatened Burnley to remain 11th in the league standings.

It was the fifth match in a row that Chelsea conceded two goals.

"The changing room is really down," Palmer told Sky Sports on Saturday. "When they went down to 10 men, we were 1-0 up and just got too comfortable. Same story, we kill ourselves every week. It's got to improve from us as players.

"We had many chances and then that time we defended sloppy. It's very disappointing. On a personal level it's good to score two, but if you don't get the three points they count for nothing.

"I think it's our consistency all around the pitch, being alive and not switching off like we did today. It's poor, it can't happen. Especially when they go down to 10 men."

Chelsea next host sixth-placed Manchester United in a league clash on Thursday.



Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)

CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Bakr said on Friday the Kingdom’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is part of integrated and comprehensive efforts to build a distinguished future for the sports sector in the Kingdom.

This will help reach the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in achieving sports excellence and building a vital and stimulating sports sector for young Saudi men and women.

Al-Bakr said the participation reflects the support of the country’s wise leadership for the sports sector, as well as the efforts made by the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee to develop the sector under the supervision of Sports Minister and Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal.

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program, which is “achieving excellence in several sports regionally and globally” by launching several initiatives on supporting and empowering Saudi athletes and contributing to increasing the number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

Since its launch in 2018, the program has offered many initiatives to develop the sports sector, Al-Bakr said. He cited the Elite Athletes Development Program, which trained and empowered Saudi players participating in the Paris Olympics, in addition to initiatives concerned with supporting and empowering women to contribute to the sports system, the Saudi Games, and building sports academies, including the establishment of Mahd Academy.

The program seeks to discover, develop, and support sports talents with the aim of creating a sports generation capable of competing in and representing the Kingdom in various regional and international events, he added.