With Chelsea struggling in recent weeks, many opinions have been shared on what the biggest issue is at the club. Some have laid the blame at the feet of manager Enzo Maresca for unimaginative tactics, others have pointed the finger at players struggling for form.
Former Chelsea star Mario Melchiot has his own opinion and pointed out what he believes is the club’s main issue, the over-reliance on starboy Cole Palmer. Melchiot said on ESPN, as quoted on Twitter:
""You have to remember in every team when you focus on one individual that is that good, you need some other players to create danger, It looks like they’ve put the problem at him and let him fix everything. I think that is where the biggest problem is at the moment.""Mario Melchiot on Palmer
When Chelsea were flying early in the season, Palmer’s performances were the primary reason why and the statistics showed how brilliant he was playing. He tore apart Wolves in August with a goal and 3 assists and singlehandedly destroyed Brighton with 4 goals in the first half in September.
Palmer’s brilliance was on full display but he was also getting help from the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke who were scoring and assisting at a solid clip. As the rest of the squad’s form dipped so has Palmer’s and that has lead to the club’s recent struggles.
The young England star is still creating chances for his teammates but the lack of a proper striker with Jackson and Guiu being out injured has lead to a poor end product. That lack of a cutting edge has forced Palmer to try and do more on his own and he is being increasingly focused on by opposing defenses, making life more difficult for all involved.
Palmer is also losing some of that trademark confidence as evidenced by his inability to finish a straightforward chance against Villa that could have won the game for Chelsea. The frustration is becoming evident and it has hampered his ability to take over matches like he used to.
What Melchiot is saying is that Palmer is doing enough to “create danger” but you need others to be able to do so as well. We saw what Pedro Neto could do early on against Aston Villa with his driving run but we aren’t seeing that consistently from him or anyone else for that matter.
The Blues desperately need someone else to step up and take over matches but no one has been able to do so for a long time. The return of Jackson will be a welcome sight for the Blues but we hope it will not be too late before he can make an impact.