Chelsea fans have had a wild 2022–23 and one they’re notorious for, manager Enzo Maresca has admitted Chelsea have a Cole Palmer problem. While fans aren’t panicking yet and drafting transfer windows wish list, Maresca has closed that door now, which is paramount; it is about the whole team, not just Palmer.
Put it this way, Palmer’s form as of late has been as worrying as a Wi-Fi signal dropping in the middle of a penalty shootout. Chelsea No. 20 is in trouble, no goals, no assists in six games. The pressure is growing with the Blues sitting uncomfortably outside the Champions League spots.
Cole Palmer: The Solution or the Scapegoat?
The problem is that ‘we are dependent on Cole for everything,’ Maresca is adamant. And he’s not wrong. Football is a team game, and the former Manchester City man has been Chelsea’s shining light since most of the season.
Perhaps the real problem is if Chelsea are treating Palmer like a one man rescue squad. Naturally, you wouldn’t expect Spider-Man to save New York with a broken web shooter. That’s what I feel right now—that one player shoulders the load while the other eleven watch.
Palmer’s Fitness is Top-Tier—So What’s the Issue?
But there’s no doubt Palmer isn’t struggling for fitness. Maresca confirmed the youngster beat Chelsea’s latest physical tests and is in peak condition. And in other words, he is running his socks off, just not experiencing the results.
But, like a treadmill, running without results is a lot of effort with ‘no progress’. The real matter for consideration is: whether the team can step in and lighten the load?
Chelsea’s Champions League Hopes Hanging by a Thread
Given that Chelsea have failed to win 10 of their 21 most recent games, securing a Champions League spot is as fragile as a house of cards in the middle of a tornado. And their loss by 2-1 to Aston Villa did not help, and the game against the bottom club Southampton suddenly seems like a must win.
Palmer will have to play through tough times, and as Maresca has no plans to rest him he doesn’t want anyone to get an advantage. That all makes sense, but even the very best artists cannot produce masterpieces when their brushes are broken (or, in this case, the team isn’t supporting the team).
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