The former Manchester City standout has been the standout player for the Blues this season, continuing his impressive form with a stellar performance in a 3-2 victory at Kenilworth Road in their recent match. Palmer skillfully netted Chelsea’s first goal, smoothly manoeuvring around the goalkeeper and evading defenders for his second, the decisive goal of the game. This display of cutting-edge skill, along with an assist for Noni Madueke, didn’t shield him from rather unusual criticism.
Garth Crooks, known for his unconventional opinions, offered his take on Palmer’s performance. Despite praising Palmer’s brilliant goals, he pointed out concerns about the midfielder’s actions during defensive set plays, particularly avoiding headers, and a perceived disconnect from the game after scoring twice when he could have aimed for a hat-trick.
Although Chelsea faced a tough challenge, narrowly securing the win amidst a late surge from Luton, blaming Palmer alone for their struggles seems unjust. It speaks more to the team’s overall struggle with game management under Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful squad.
Palmer’s impressive statistics this season, including 12 goal contributions in the league (the most at the club in 2023), leading in passes into the box, chances created, goals, big chances created, and assists, highlight his significant impact.
As a crucial member of Pochettino’s squad, whether Palmer will be rested for the FA Cup clash against Preston due to a potentially weakened lineup remains uncertain. Chelsea faces Middlesbrough in a Carabao Cup semi-final merely three days after the Preston match.
Cole Palmer
EnglandChelsea performance and stats
Chelsea will play the next match in FA Cup against Preston North End on Saturday 6th of January in London. The prediction is Chelsea winning the match.
