Many pundits and fans have made the same observation about Chelsea this season and their over-reliance on star Cole Palmer. Early in the season this was not an issue as the young Englishman was firing on all cylinders and was scoring goals and serving up assists for fun.
He was helped by an in form Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson but as the others around him have struggled, so has Palmer. There was a report earlier this year about Palmer creating more chances than anyone else in Europe’s top leagues but he only has 2 goals since the turn of the year and has not recorded an assist since December 1st.
This is not for lack of effort as Palmer has been the heart of Chelsea’s attack in every match but the end product has been lacking and fans are getting concerned. Manager Enzo Maresca on the other hand does not seem to be worried about his star’s dip in form. Maresca said, as quoted in PLZ Soccer:
"“I’m not concerned, I’m always concerned about general performances, but I’m not concerned about Cole because he is a human being. During the season he can have some moments where he is struggling a little bit more."
"“The problem with Cole is probably that we rely on him for everything. I said since we started that we need to rely on the team. For sure we need big players, top players like Cole but we are not worried about him at all.”"Maresca on Cole Palmer
Maresca stating this so plainly is a positive as he has the most power to do something about it after the players themselves. If the manager knows that this is a problem he can put the other players in a position to fix it and they certainly know it as well. There is some pressure associated with it but they should all want to lighten the load on Palmer’s shoulders.
The upcoming matches against Southampton and Leicester City are a great chance for the others to pitch in against two of the most generous defenses in the Premier League. There is an away trip to Copenhagen sandwiched in between and that could be a great chance for others to make an impact in a different atmosphere and situation.