Negatives - Continued
2. Cole Palmer’s Performance
It may seem unfair to include Cole Palmer among the negatives. Still given his growing reputation, fans expect a certain level of performance from him in every match. Aside from his tame shot that led to Verbruggen’s mistake, Palmer had a poor game.
Maresca’s tactics did not help him at all. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Palmer was able to shine. But Maresca’s lack of a coherent game plan is now affecting even Chelsea’s best players. At times, Palmer looked disinterested. If this continues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him request a move, especially considering reports of a few players doing so in January. If this season turns out worse than last year, that number could increase, particularly with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
3. Refereeing
Once again, a Chelsea match has been affected by a refereeing decision, and once again, it has gone against Chelsea. Prior to Brighton's second goal, the ball clearly hit Tariq Lamptey's hand before changing direction. However, referee Jarred Gillett somehow missed it. In a match involving two Premier League teams, there is no reason not to have VAR. Had VAR been in place, that second goal would have been disallowed.
Almost every year, Chelsea suffer due to incorrect refereeing decisions. This has been happening for years. As always, Chelsea as a club won’t make any complaints or publicly express displeasure over such incidents. It’s the fans who suffer from watching this injustice over and over again.