Chelsea are in desperate need of a spark ahead of the soon to be very much a ‘prove your worth’ game against Southampton. In their last ten Premier League matches the Blues have mastered the art of inconsistency, only two wins in it. But of course inconsistency can yield sudden brilliance—especially as a Chelsea fan should know.
Maybe this is the time when the game changers are in the pictures. These are three players to watch.
Cole Palmer – Chelsea’s MVP in Need of a Recharge
Now is the moment for Chelsea to rename themselves ‘Cole Palmer FC’ because you can’t deny how pivotal the young man has been in their attack, so at this point without him it would like a Wi-Fi connection from 2003, slow, frustrating and unreliable. But Palmer has scored 14 times so far this term and has six assists, making him Chelsea’s most dangerous player.
This has, however, had little effect on his influence in recent matches. One major reason? Nicholas Jackson’s absence from whom Palmer had more space to play his magic. Without Jackson, Palmer has not been able to find his rhythm.
And, in fact, he still has eight goals and four assists at Stamford Bridge, behind only Mohamed Salah for home goal involvements. Sensing he need one after Chelsea beating Southampton 5-1 with him getting on the scoresheet earlier in the season, expect him to have a point to make.
Pedro Neto – The Surprise No. 9 Chelsea Didn’t Know They Needed
Pedro Neto’s story, at least so far, has been a surprising, exciting, buttered, unexpected plot twist in a detective novel. As winger, Neto was signed but he is forced into a striker role because of injuries to Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu and Mykhailo Mudryk.
But Neto’s experiment worked against Aston Villa where he was an important assist in a 2-2 draw. Neto, with his pace, technical ability and creativity, is something different as a makeshift No. 9. He has a golden chance to finally pocket a Chelsea goal against a Southampton side that has conceded eight in their past three away games.
If Neto can airbrush his way into being Chelsea’s striker, then it would be right to add ‘Professional Problem Solver’ to his LinkedIn profile.
Enzo Fernández – The Midfield Maestro Who Can Make a Difference
During a run car on fumes sort of attack, Enzo Fernández is the one who keeps pushing it uphill or directing traffic. Unsurprisingly, the Argentine is also one of the few Chelsea players who really does look like he actually gives a monkey’s bum.
Fernández has remained a key figure in Chelsea’s midfield with four goals in this season and five assists. But his attacking output has fluctuated because Romeo Lavia’s injury forced him to play deeper.
Fernández is a goal threat when unleashed, just ask Aston Villa, who he scored Chelsea’s only goal against in their last match. He could be the one to unlock Southampton’s defence if he is allowed to attack.
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