Cole Palmer: Ill forward ‘wanted to be on pitch’ as his barren run continues
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer may have found a new way to shoot the blank as he missed the Premier League free throw for the first time in a 1-0 home victory at Leicester City – but he may be equally noteworthy in Sunday’s game.
After entering the game, Palmer’s involvement was suspected because he missed the fever but insisted on “helping the team.”
In the 22nd minute, England International finished his goal drought perfectly – standing in eight games in the game, but his defeat efforts won the goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
Previously, Palmer won all 12 penalty kicks in the Premier League, beating a record of perfect attempts by former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure.
This is the latest episode since the end of 2024. Last year, he scored 26 assists in the Premier League, 13 assists than England’s best player in the Premier League. He also broke Chelsea’s record of scoring in a calendar year.
However, several big opportunities were wasted in a 4-0 victory over Southampton last week, and signs that his confidence was waning.
Palmer got the gap from free throws, but statistics show that shooting his left foot to the right is his favorite choice.
This may be something Hermansen knows, and despite his close proximity to the corner, he managed to achieve his goal of saving the shot.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer told the BBC’s 5th live broadcast: “Cole Palmer’s fine is not a man of confidence. He is in power with real placement and the goalkeeper does that, which is not his biggest fine.
“Currently, Cole Palmer hasn’t happened. The longer it lasts, the more frustration it feels, and there are more elements to try to be selfish and make bad decisions.”
There are two minutes and 24 seconds to wait for a penalty kick that cannot be helped – Chelsea and Leicester players argue on the edge of the box – referee Tim Robinson asked him to reposition the ball.
Ultimately, Chelsea’s free throw miss was irrelevant as Marc Cucurella showed up with the range champion in the 60th minute, despite their continued victory.
It can be said that this is also the replacement in the 75th minute, which is the fourth place he has played in a game since joining the club.
But Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said the striker might not be the best reason.
“It’s easy: Cole didn’t train yesterday and he was uncomfortable at night,” Maresca said.
“The reason he didn’t practice yesterday was fever and diarrhea in the last 48 hours. This morning, he woke up and asked me, ‘I want to play because I want to help this team, this club in the Champions League’.
“This shows how these players want to bring the club to the club they belong to.”
