Cole Palmer is warming up for a big game against Liverpool tomorrow night. His legend is growing rapidly, but just like Eden Hazard before him, he will need more big showings in the biggest games to keep building his legacy.
He’s been absolutely on fire this season, keeping up just where he left off last season, but according to Palmer, things are getting harder and not easier as the rest of the league adapts to him:
“Towards the end of last season, maybe like the last three or four months, I felt like I was getting marked more and it has carried on into this season,” Cole explained in his interview on the Chelsea website today.
“It seems like [I’m getting fouled more]! I’m going to get double shin pads – one at the front and one at the back! They only do little kicks so it doesn’t hurt too much. I see it as a compliment,” the ice cold customer chuckled.
Still, the good news is that all that rough treatment has done nothing to slow him down – he’s getting fouled more and more (he’s 6th top of the league in that category) but is scoring and assisting faster than ever. He’s got 11 goal contributions from the opening 7 matches, which is just a silly return.
How Maresca can respond to new Palmer marking strategy
Tactically speaking Palmer attracting more attention creates interesting opportunities for manager Enzo Maresca. If the languid midfielder is going to be man marked, then his tendency to drift out to Chelsea’s right hand side is going to heavily unbalance the game down that side, as Palmer doubles up with Noni Madueke.
That should create tons of space as that pair and their respective markers vacate the centre. The rare games where Palmer doesn’t score should guarantee space and action for players like Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson.
