After missing him for so long with a groin injury, Cole Palmer’s reintegration into the Chelsea team has been pretty quiet.The team hasn’t been at its best, and nor has the attacker. A lovely goal...
After missing him for so long with a groin injury, Cole Palmer’s reintegration into the Chelsea team has been pretty quiet.
The team hasn’t been at its best, and nor has the attacker. A lovely goal against Everton aside, he’s not made a huge impact on games as he’s worked his way back up to fitness. His relationships with his teammates, especially the summer signings, still needs work, and he doesn’t look fully comfortable physically yet either.
Enzo Maresca was asked about his key man in the press conference today, and confirmed that the former Man City prodigy was ready to play a full game for the Blues now.
Chelsea need creative Cole back to his best
Cole Palmer breaks through the defence to score.
“I think he’s ready for 90 minutes, yeah. The progression for a player is 45 minutes, one hour, 70 minutes,” the manager said.
“He already played one hour against, I think, Everton. He played more than 70 against Newcastle. I think the progression is there.”
Our concern is not really the minutes Palmer plays but how he plays in them. He still seems to be struggling to get up to speed and really influence games. For a player who operates mainly in a few special game-changing moments in each match that’s no surprise, but Saturday’s clash with high flying Villa would be a perfect moment for him to finally take control of a game.
In other news…
The manager was also asked about the form of his star man Palmer and how it compared to that of Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa’s creative hub and Palmer’s old friend.
Maresca also had news on the injury front, with two attackers ready to return after short absences. That gives us some crucial depth at this busy time, and increases our options for Saturdays’ game.
Category: General Sports
