Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has distanced himself from blame for Cole Palmer’s recent decline in form, emphasizing that the forward’s struggles are psychological rather than tactical.
Despite a standout debut season, Palmer has now gone 16 games without scoring, a sharp contrast to his early impact following his £40 million move from Manchester City.
With pressure mounting, Maresca defended both his system and Palmer’s underlying quality.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming clash with Everton, Maresca stated:
“For sure, it’s mental. I don’t think it’s tactical, I don’t think it’s technical, because Cole is still the same player who scored this season with us.
“The style of football we play is the same one. The manager is the same one. The club is the same one. So nothing changes around Cole and Cole doesn’t change.
“It’s just mentally at this moment. For sure, you can see that he is a little worried because he wants to help the team,” he added.
Palmer’s extended dry spell has become a key narrative, although it was always unrealistic to expect him to sustain his earlier production levels indefinitely.
With a fixture against Everton, the side he dismantled with four goals last season, looming, Palmer now has a timely opportunity to reset and silence critics.
