Three reasons defences find it so hard to stop Chelsea sensation Cole Palmer who could be England’s star at Euro 2024

THE performances of the 21-year-old Cole Palmer so far this season have been nothing short of sensational. 

The young attacking midfielder moved to Chelsea from Manchester City at the very end of last summer‘s transfer window for £47m and he has not looked back.

Reuters

Mauricio Pochettino has found a gem in Cole Palmer[/caption]

Palmer has scored 20 goals, and created 52 chances for team-mates

Often in transfers of this type there is not one clear winner from the deal but in this instance it is fair to say that Chelsea have struck gold. 

At the time of writing, Palmer has scored 20 goals with nine assists in 29 Premier League matches for his new side. 

A hat-trick in the 4-3 victory over Man Utd was followed a week later by a four-goal haul in the 6-0 win over Everton.

Even accounting for the penalties he has scored, this is still an extremely impressive output. 

While Chelsea have spent more than £1billion in recent seasons building their current squad it would be fair to say that Palmer has emerged this season as one of the key players and as a real leader in the squad. 

One of the most interesting aspects of his performances this season has actually been his versatility and ability to be outstanding in a range of different positions. 

He has played wide, as a 10 from the central positions, as an 8 from deeper midfield positions and actually as a central striker.

In this article we will take a closer look at three important aspects of the way that Palmer plays and examine why he is so difficult for opposition defences to stop.

Cole Palmer is fighting Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot

Movement around the penalty area

Palmer can play in numerous different positions or roles for Chelsea – but wherever he lines up his profile and traits as a player remain constant. 

This means that no matter where he is positioned on the pitch we can still expect to see the same kind of movements and runs from the young England star. 

This is especially true in the final third and around the opposition penalty box.  

In these areas Palmer displays a real feel for space and he constantly looks to make runs and movements to find and occupy pockets of space in dangerous spaces.

This is particularly effective for Palmer when he is able to make these runs from slightly deeper positions in order to arrive and attack space to receive passes from teammates.

Palmer makes the first pass into a teammate from a deeper position. As he does so he then makes a secondary run to move forward and when he receives the ball back he can burst through the defensive line for a chance on goal

Cole Palmer has been Chelsea’s most potent player

Palmer was exceptional in the 6-0 win over Everton

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has essentially come to the conclusion that Palmer has to be given freedom around the final third.

The younster tends to be allowed to drift and move in and out of positions as he sees fit. 

Ironically in this regard he is very similar to his former Man City teammate Phil Foden. 

This means that Palmer will often make moves off the ball to occupy space to give his teammates passing options and help break down stubborn opposition defensive blocks.

Palmer drifts forward to the edge of the opposition penalty area. He scans and sees the space in the opposition defence and the player in possession finds a pass to release Palmer into that space

Palmer has developed into an extremely dangerous goalscorer and the fact that he is able to score consistently regardless of his starting position in the Chelsea system is extremely impressive. 

Is this something that England coach Gareth Southgate can afford to ignore when picking his squad for the upcoming European Championships?

Breaking the last line

While Palmer provides a significant threat for Chelsea with his goals he has also emerged as a significant creative talent.

The fact that the midfielder has nine assists in 29 league matches is extremely impressive and he has emerged as one of the key link players for Chelsea in the final third.

We have already touched upon his ability to find pockets of space and the fact that when he does this he provides a direct goal threat. 

He also, however, has the vision and creativity to find ways to play passes around the corners or through the lines to create chances for others. 

It is a mark of his quality on the ball that when he is in possession around the final third teammates will automatically look to trigger runs as they trust Palmer to find them.

There’s more to Palmer’s game than just scoring goals

Palmer takes the ball as the wide player continues his run. Palmer is composed, holds on to the ball and allows the run to develop before playing a perfect through ball

While we have already drawn some comparisons between Palmer and his former City teammate Phil Foden he also has some similarities to Kevin de Bruyne in terms of his ability on the ball and vision when passing the ball to create chances for teammates. 

Indeed, the similarities that Palmer has to these two key players for City must sting Pep Guardiola when he sees Palmer performing so well.

While Palmer is excellent when looking to play short and intricate passes in the final third to release teammates and link the play, he also has the range and vision to play longer passes to find attacking runs from teammates.

Palmer is in possession outside the opposition area and teammates make runs to provide options.Palmer spots the run from a deeper position into the area and plays a perfect pass to release this teammate into space

While Palmer’s goal and assist output has been superb so far this season the reality is that it could have been so much better. 

He has provided chances for teammates consistently which have not been finished but as Chelsea continue to develop this should resolve itself.

Helping his side to progress the ball

While so far we have concentrated on the ways that Cole Palmer contributes for his team in the final third he has also emerged as a key player for Chelsea in terms of helping them to progress the ball through the thirds. 

While he does not necessarily play a large volume of progressive passes in his own right, mainly because he is typically in possession in the final third, he takes up positions and drops into space to receive progressive passes and to help his teammates to move the ball forward into dangerous spaces.

Palmer is always looking for to receive the ball as Chelsea build from the back, through their double pivot of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

In order for these passes to be effective, however, there has to be a player positioning themselves to receive the ball and this is where Palmer thrives.

Earlier this season Palmer was tried as a false nine, but was less effective

Palmer now generally plays on the right of the attacking midfield, with the freedom to get into dangerous areas

Palmer drops from a higher position towards the ball to receive the ball and allow his team to progress the ball

As well as having the tactical awareness to recognise when his team need him to make these movements to occupy spaces Palmer also has the ability to receive cleanly when under pressure with his back to goal. 

He is extremely press resistant and opposition defenders find it difficult to get around him to challenge for the ball. 

For a technically gifted attacking midfielder Palmer also has the physical strength to receive in these positions effectively.

Palmer sees his teammate in possession needs a passing option to allow him to progress the ball through the press. As he drops into his own half he receives facing his own goal but turns to attack the opposition

Palmer is extremely dangerous for opposition defences with his ability in the final third.

But his ability to help Chelsea to break through into the final third while progressing the ball forward is also outstanding.

Conclusion

Palmer is now firmly established as one of the leaders of this Chelsea side and we expect him to continue to go from strength to strength as the team is built around him. 

In the short term there can be no doubt that his performances this season will make it very difficult for Gareth Southgate to leave him out of the England squad for the Euros

The problems he causes for Premier League defences means he is likely to be a real headache on the international stage too.