Enzo Maresca Speaks On Cole Palmer’s Drop-In Form At Chelsea

Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, expressed that he is not worried about Cole Palmer’s current form or his body language despite the young forward facing a challenging period.

Enzo Maresca addressed concerns regarding Palmer, who has struggled to make an impact recently amid Chelsea’s disappointing streak of just two victories out of their last ten matches across all competitions.

The 22-year-old England international has gone six games without finding the back of the net and has not provided an assist in his last 13 appearances.

This dip in performance comes after a stellar 2024 where Palmer tallied an impressive 26 goals and 13 assists, setting a Chelsea record and outperforming every player in the Premier League during that calendar year.

When questioned about Palmer’s recent difficulties leading up to Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Enzo Maresca said, “No, I am not concerned about him.”

Maresca emphasized that while he is always focused on the general performance of the team, Palmer’s situation is different. “Cole is a human being, and it’s natural for any player to experience ups and downs throughout a season”, the Italian tactician said.

“Every match, we hope for a goal or an assist, but it can be challenging. Right now, the struggles of his performance reflect the team’s overall difficulties in scoring goals, and we need to be more ruthless and clinical when opportunities arise.”

Maresca acknowledged that Palmer’s frustration stems from the team’s inability to secure wins rather than any internal conflict.

He elaborated on the issue by discussing Palmer’s missed scoring opportunities during crucial matches against Manchester City and Aston Villa.

The manager pointed out that while Palmer is indeed a key player, the team’s heavy reliance on him to deliver match-winning performances needs to be addressed.

“The concern with Cole is that we place a lot of pressure on him to be the solution for everything,” Maresca explained. “Since the beginning, I have stressed the importance of relying on the entire team to step up. Certainly, we have exceptional talents like Cole, but our focus should not solely rest on him.”

In terms of team lineup or the match against Southampton, Maresca confirmed that goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen will retain his starting position despite a critical error leading to the decisive goal in their match against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Additionally, he mentioned that defender Trevoh Chalobah will be sidelined for a period of “a week to 10 days” due to injury concerns.