Marisca: I’m Concerned About Over-Reliance on Cole Palmer
Chelsea manager Enzo Marisca expressed concern that his team’s over-reliance on star player Cole Palmer might affect the performance of the England international, as Palmer continued his goal-scoring drought for the sixth consecutive match in yesterday’s loss to Aston Villa.
According to British News Agency (PA Media), the 22-year-old remains the team’s top scorer this season with 14 goals, but he hasn’t scored since the draw with Bournemouth on January 14. His last assist was 13 matches ago.
Chelsea has dropped from second to seventh in the league standings, with only two wins from ten matches. The team is at risk of missing out on next season’s Champions League qualification if results do not improve.
Marisca commented, “I’m not worried. I’m always concerned about the overall team performance, but I’m not worried about Cole because he’s a human being, and during the season, he might feel some strain.” He added, “The problem with Cole is that we rely on him for everything. Since we started the season, I said we need to rely on the team. Of course, we need top players and stars like Cole, but we’re not worried about him at all.”
Chelsea will face Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, and a victory could push them back into the top positions, even if only for 24 hours.
