🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 10. Cole Palmer

[ZAPHOD2319 4,815]

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,815]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,318]

If Palace accepted offer for Olise we wouldn't get Palmer, no? And he would still be injured. 

[Vesper 30,170]

On 10/11/2023 at 23:56, ZAPHOD2319 said:

 

 

Di Maria will finish with between 900 and 1000 games played

over 200 goals and over 300 assists for club and country

at least 35 or so major trophies, including the World Cup (plus the U20 World Cup), Copa America, CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, an Olympic Gold, the Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup

The only thing he really lacks is the World Club Cup, as he left Real Madrid right before they played and won it in late 2014 (stupidly moving to a shit Manure side for one season in 2014/15)

 

if Palmer does half that he will be a fucking legend

Edited November 12, 2023 by Vesper

[Strike 7,489]

The only good signing from the summer 

[Vesper 30,170]

40 minutes ago, Strike said:

The only good signing from the summer 

what a silly statement

this board sometimes

smdh

[Vesper 30,170]

Cole Palmer: From the periphery of Man City’s team to the heart of Chelsea’s in just four months

https://theathletic.com/5048612/2023/11/10/cole-palmer-growing-importance-Chelsea/

Nicolas Jackson had the match ball in one hand and finished by clutching the player of the match award in the other, but it was Cole Palmer who stole the show in the amusing tunnel interview that followed Chelsea’s madcap 4-1 win over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

“Obviously it’s been a difficult start for him, no hiding it, but he was brilliant tonight,” Palmer told UK broadcaster Sky Sports when invited to talk about Jackson, the 21-year-old speaking with the air of a 10-year veteran assessing the progress of a teenage team-mate. “He just needs to work harder on the training pitch, keep his head down and I think he’ll get many more hat-tricks.”

When the startled reporter leaned in to confirm if he had in fact just told Jackson — head down and smiling quietly to himself — to show more effort in training, Palmer replied with an incredulous grin: “Of course! You can always work harder!”

It was an illustrative exchange for several reasons.

First, as the latest example of the natural personality that marks Palmer out as one of English football’s more entertaining young talkers.

Second, as a reminder of the high standards, instilled by the relentless intensity of Pep Guardiola during his years with Manchester City’s first team, which have helped him make an immediate and important impact on a youthful squad at new club Chelsea.

Third, as a demonstration of the steely confidence that, two months ago, led him to leave the only club he had ever known in search of a more favourable platform for his talents.

That confidence has been on full display for each of the three high-pressure penalties Palmer has successfully converted in his 515 minutes of Premier League action.

New head coach Mauricio Pochettino has never officially made Palmer his preferred taker, which goes some way towards explaining the conversation that took place with Raheem Sterling when Chelsea were awarded a spot kick against Arsenal last month. Pochettino has simply made it clear to his players that he wants the person with the most belief on the pitch to assume responsibility.

Palmer taking the ball — as he had against Burnley at Turf Moor in the previous match two weeks earlier — was his way of signalling just that, and Enzo Fernandez urging Sterling to let him proceed underlined just how quickly the former City man has earned the trust of his team-mates in big moments.

In another context, such a scene might have been interpreted as a worrying sign of dressing room disharmony, but Sterling and Palmer are too close for any of that.

Back in August, when he was weighing up the possibility of a transfer to Chelsea, Palmer called former City team-mate Sterling for advice. He responded by talking in glowing terms about life under summer appointment Pochettino and the broader project being funded by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, telling Palmer that Stamford Bridge was the place to fulfil his potential.

“Raz (Sterling) has always looked after me, so I appreciate him,” Palmer said in his official interview on signing for Chelsea. “He was one when I was coming through at Man City who put his arm around me. That was amazing for me, for someone of his pedigree and international experience to do that.

“He saw the potential I had. He saw what I was doing in training. We started talking a bit more. I was asking him questions all the time and from there we have always kept in contact.”

GO DEEPER

The three eras of Raheem Sterling: Dribbler, finisher, dribbler again

Sterling was one of Chelsea’s more dependable performers in a painful start to the season, but it is Palmer’s introduction at the end of September that has provided the creative catalyst for an upturn in results.

In addition to those three crucial goals from penalties, his run of seven consecutive starts across the Carabao Cup and Premier League have yielded four assists. After only two victories and three defeats in the season’s first seven matches, when Palmer wasn’t in the starting XI, Chelsea’s record in the next seven, all of which have had him in the initial line-up, is five wins, one draw and one loss.

Just as impressive is the variety of ways Palmer has been used in Chelsea’s attack.

Pochettino gave him his first minutes off the bench in the home defeat against Nottingham Forest on September 2 as a No 8. His most common role has been as a playmaking right-winger granted the freedom to drift into the No 10 position, but he was deployed to good effect as a false nine in that 2-2 draw with Arsenal, leading the team press intelligently out of possession.

Some at Chelsea, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, have already voiced the belief that Palmer is the player they thought they were getting when they signed Kai Havertz three years ago.

“We are happy with the way he has arrived,” Pochettino said of a player who helped England win the Under-21 European Championship this summer, after the 2-0 loss to Brentford almost two weeks ago. “He arrived on the last day of the transfer window but is playing like he’s been here 10 years, showing his character and personality.

“I cannot say, ‘I didn’t expect that’, but also if I say, ‘I expected it’, then I’m lying. You create expectation always when you sign a player but, of course, he’s doing well. You only feel the player when you have the player, and from day one when he started to train, you could see the talent. He still needs time to improve.”

Pochettino’s style of management has resonated with Palmer.

There have been daily conversations and positive encouragement in training sessions and during matches, where Chelsea’s head coach has empowered him to take risks with his passing in the final third and play through any mistakes — a level of trust rarely afforded him by Guardiola.

In these early weeks, the returns have been hugely positive.

Palmer leads the Premier League in completed passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes (4.2), among players who have at least 500 minutes to their name this season, and his 4.5 shot-creating actions per 90 are the most in Chelsea’s squad.

When it comes to key passes (2.32) and expected assists (0.33) per 90, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are the only team-mates who rank higher.

Above all, Palmer gives the impression of a footballer who recognises the opportunity in front of him.

Chelsea are nowhere near City’s current level, but moving to Stamford Bridge has given him the consistent run of Premier League football he had craved for much of 2023. Pochettino’s ongoing rebuild means Palmer can establish himself as a key figure on the ground floor in a team with the aspiration to scale similar heights to his previous one in the coming years.

City’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday will undoubtedly bring added motivation.

Palmer’s gratitude to his boyhood club is well documented, and the stellar football education he received under Guardiola is already serving him well at Chelsea, but their willingness to part with him was an admission that he was ultimately viewed as expendable.

Challenging that conclusion on the pitch will likely require his best performance yet in a Chelsea shirt.

That will not faze Palmer; he knows all too well that you can always work harder.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

He has 100% surprised me, thought we had overpaid and signed a very very overrated youngster with similar qualities to Kai in terms of skillset and laboured sort of style but he does look a bit different. Mata and Di Maria comparisons are cool but he’s not particularly more like one or the other, sort of a mix in between, maybe even more the likes of a David Silva. Maybe not in terms of the quality and style in his later years with Pep but in style, similarly to where when he played off the sides under Mancini at times and even early Pellegrini.

[Reddish-Blue 2,503]

2 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

He has 100% surprised me, thought we had overpaid and signed a very very overrated youngster with similar qualities to Kai in terms of skillset and laboured sort of style but he does look a bit different. Mata and Di Maria comparisons are cool but he’s not particularly more like one or the other, sort of a mix in between, maybe even more the likes of a David Silva. Maybe not in terms of the quality and style in his later years with Pep but in style, similarly to where when he played off the sides under Mancini at times and even early Pellegrini.

The problem for Kai was always going to be how he transitioned to a more physical/intense league as his profile seemed like he would struggle (i.e. he's not really the dribbling type that can fit in on the wings and I wouldn't classify him as a #10 that is capable of linking play, he's more of a workhorse that can slot in as required). 

The Kai I saw at Leverkusen was benefitting from counter attacking football where he played off the striker/target man, got into space through the middle and used his attributes to his advantage...but in the Premier League, you don't get that much space through the middle unless you have that dribbling/trickery to beat your man. 

[Vytis33 1,270]

First call-up to the senior team 

 

 

[DH1988 1,348]

1 hour ago, Vytis33 said:

First call-up to the senior team 

 

 

Typical Southgate tbh, wasn't fussed about him before, I'm slightly annoyed to be fair, prefer him to continue acclimating to London life and Cobham etc.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,815]

16 minutes ago, DH1988 said:

Typical Southgate tbh, wasn't fussed about him before, I'm slightly annoyed to be fair, prefer him to continue acclimating to London life and Cobham etc.

In this situation I think it benefits him and us. He will not play hardly at all, but the experience will grow his confidence. I think Reece also made the right decision.

[DH1988 1,348]

21 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

In this situation I think it benefits him and us. He will not play hardly at all, but the experience will grow his confidence. I think Reece also made the right decision.

Sounds daft but keen to avoid him mixing with the senior team who by large are a massive group of under achieving overpaid bunch, bar a few exceptions. It'll happen at some stage but for now he was perfectly fine with u21/setup.

[MoroccanBlue 5,381]

1 hour ago, DH1988 said:

Typical Southgate tbh, wasn't fussed about him before, I'm slightly annoyed to be fair, prefer him to continue acclimating to London life and Cobham etc.

He'd of gotten called up to the U21 side regardless. 

[DDA 9,938]

"CITY'S BOY IS CHELSEAS MAN"

- Peter Drury 

[lucio 5,418]

We should target more of their academy players , lavia is from there too and will be a baller 

[Fulham Broadway 17,312]

Eem a rude bwoy

 

[Vesper 30,170]

Cole Palmer is the versatile glue who makes Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea work

https://theathletic.com/5062177/2023/11/17/cole-palmer-Chelsea-mauricio-pochettino/

---

In our attempts to analyse any game of football, there’s one aspect that is always important to consider: the profile of the players.

One right-winger in a 4-2-3-1 could be different to another right-winger in the same 4-2-3-1. The first could be a touchline-hugging dribbler, while the other could be more of a creative force, looking to come off the wing and roam infield to find space between the lines.

Part of what makes football entertaining is that the characteristics of the players are non-identical — they aren’t just soulless round magnets on a tactical board.

Even tactics and strategies are partly inspired by the skill sets of the players a manager has. There’s no logic in isolating your winger against the opponent’s full-back if they don’t thrive in one-on-one situations or playing a transitional game against a side full of pace in their front line.

At the end of the day, the players are the tools, and they are the ones who execute plans. Tactics and strategies are there to help them, but it also works the other way around. A versatile player offers their manager flexibility to alternate between shapes and approaches within the same game or from one match to the next.

In their 4-4 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, for example, Cole Palmer started on the right side of Chelsea’s attack, then moved to an advanced central role in the second half. He played as more of a No 10, before dropping to partner Conor Gallagher in the centre of the pitch with Chelsea looking for a late equaliser.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Over the previous five Premier League games, Palmer started on the right wing against Fulham, Burnley and Tottenham, as a false nine against Arsenal and as a No 10 against Brentford. When asked this week about his best position in the longer term, Palmer didn’t have a specific one in mind. “I like to play in all the positions to be fair,” he said. “False nine, right, middle — wherever he (Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino) puts me on, I am happy to play there.”

Yet it’s not only about his ability to play in these positions but what he offers as well. Because Palmer can play with his back to the goal and receive between the lines, Chelsea can easily morph into a 3-2-4-1 shape when they are on the ball by pushing their right-back further forward.

And it’s not like Pochettino can’t utilise this shape on the ball without Palmer — Raheem Sterling’s performance in a similar role against Liverpool on the opening weekend of this season was effective, but the England forward didn’t feel as comfortable in it.

“Against Liverpool, I was inside the pocket a bit too much and that was my feeling all last season, when I was too deep and I was playing the ball to the full-backs,” Sterling told UK broadcaster Sky Sports. “I had a conversation with the gaffer last week and we’ve gone through the role and I know exactly what he needs from me. I need to do what I do and drive at players, which is where I am most effective.”

Palmer, on the other hand, is more comfortable when it comes to receiving the ball in the centre of the pitch with his back to goal, which also allows Sterling to play another role down Chelsea’s left wing, where he can use his pace and dribbling ability to drive at opponents.

Against Fulham on October 2, Palmer showed glimpses of his ability in terms of occupying the correct spaces, too. In this example, he is initially down the right wing…

…but when Chelsea circulate the ball towards Marc Cucurella at right-back and Gallagher moves towards the touchline, dragging Joao Palhinha with him, Palmer spots the space and drops to offer himself as a passing option.

The reason Fulham’s left-back, Antonee Robinson, can’t commit to Palmer is Gallagher’s movement near the touchline…

…which forces Robinson to maintain his position while Palmer progresses with the ball freely. Under no pressure, he finds Armando Broja behind the Fulham defence…

…but a misunderstanding between the striker and Mykhailo Mudryk prevents them from creating an effort on target.

The following week, it was a familiar scene against Burnley. Palmer starts as a right-winger…

…but he understands where the space is and acts accordingly. “The way he reads the situations and what the team needs in every situation, he can be the player who can link with his team-mates,” said Pochettino.

Here, he spots the acres of space between the Burnley midfield and back line and moves into it…

…providing another passing option between the lines next to Gallagher…

…but the angle is deemed too risky by Thiago Silva, whose right-footedness isn’t helping the situation. A left-footed centre-back would be more comfortable playing the pass into Palmer from here.

In another example, Palmer is starting in a narrow position as Chelsea are building up their attack. Silva’s pass to Gallagher tempts Josh Cullen to press the Chelsea midfielder, who plays the ball back to centre-back Axel Disasi.

After Cullen moves closer to Gallagher, Palmer takes a couple of steps towards the centre circle while Enzo Fernandez advances down the right wing. Similar to the example against Fulham, Fernandez’s movement pins Burnley’s left-back, Charlie Taylor, preventing him from moving inwards with Palmer…

…who moves into the central space while Gallagher is dragging Cullen with him. This time, Silva finds Palmer…

…and Chelsea combine to put Sterling in a one-on-one situation, where the England forward excels.

Before Sterling dribbles past Vitinho, it’s important to note Palmer’s off-ball run into the space between Burnley’s right-back and right centre-back, which provides Sterling with a passing option and also forces the home side’s Sander Berge to drop deeper…

…creating more space for Sterling towards the edge of the box. Unfortunately for Chelsea, his shot misses the target.

At home against Arsenal in the next match, Palmer continues to show his versatility by playing as a false nine who drops into the right half-space.

He constantly drifted deeper to distance himself from Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes…

…while Jorginho and Declan Rice mainly focused on marking Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Here, Silva spots Palmer’s movement…

…and as the ball is reaching the young forward, he takes a look over his shoulder to scan his surroundings, registering the positioning of Sterling and Gabriel in the process…

…which factors into his decision to play a one-touch flick to his winger.

Sterling then plays a ball into the path of an underlapping Malo Gusto…

…but the right-back’s shot misses the target.

Earlier in that first half, Palmer’s positioning contributed to the attack that led to Chelsea being awarded a penalty, through which he opened the scoring.

 

Again, with Rice and Jorginho focusing on Caicedo and Fernandez, Palmer drops into the space between the lines, with Gabriel trying to react to the situation.

However, when Chelsea circulate the ball backwards towards the other side of the pitch, Gabriel drops and it’s William Saliba who moves up, because the ball is closer to Gallagher, which means Palmer is free. Mudryk chests goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s clipped pass into the path of Gallagher…

…who finds Palmer…

…before the latter plays the ball on to Sterling out wide…

…and it’s from this cross that Chelsea win the penalty.

“He is a player that understands the game and uses the half positions — he plays in between the lines to confuse the opponent,” Pochettino said of Palmer. “He always gives options for us to play and to find the free man. He is a playmaker that links all the team-mates.”

Palmer’s versatile profile in terms of being able to excel in one-on-one situations, playing between the lines, and understanding where the space is — along with his creativity — makes him a multifunctional option for this Chelsea side. And in turn, it allows them to become more flexible.

 

 

[bluesman2610 1,417]

Fast becoming favourite player on the team. So much quality - a little selfish sometimes but you need that in the attacking third.

 

Also I read somewhere if he gets one more yellow card he'll be suspended for card accumulation. In our upcoming matches which game would you accept that card.

[NikkiCFC 8,318]

2 minutes ago, bluesman2610 said:

Fast becoming favourite player on the team. So much quality - a little selfish sometimes but you need that in the attacking third.

 

Also I read somewhere if he gets one more yellow card he'll be suspended for card accumulation. In our upcoming matches which game would you accept that card.

Palmer, Enzo and Sterling are one yellow from suspension. But only if they get it before new year so I hope they survive next 3 games.