Enzo Maresca has just taken a very positive press conference following the win over Aston Villa at home, and of course he was asked about Cole Palmer, who scored a superb third to wrap up the win.
He compared the England star to Joao Felix, and explained what separated them from the majority of players:
“Cole Palmer, Joao Felix is the reason why people pay for tickets; to watch that type of player. Cole Palmer can see things, like Joao, that the rest cannot see. It doesn’t mean the rest are not good but they are different from the rest.”
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Cole Palmer after scoring a screamer against Aston Villa. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Cole Palmer wraps one left footed into the top corner.
Joao Felix in action for Chelsea.
With Palmer we’ve seen it for more than a year now – the incredible vision, plus the technique to execute it. With Felix it has been more in flashes – but there are few players out there more likely to do something that looks impressive, even if it doesn’t always have much functional use.
You can see Maresca speaking in the clip embedded here, with this question coming after 5 minutes:
Enzo Maresca responds to a press conference question.
Enzo Maresca responds to a press conference question.
Fans about to find out a lot more about Enzo’s rotation policy
Today’s team selection was an interesting one, given the change in shape and personnel. From next week it should get even more interesting. Thus far the coach has been able to play one team in the cups in midweek, and another in the league at the weekend. But on Wednesday our midweek game is in the Premier League, and we will see what Maresca does in terms of rotation for that.
If Cole gets a rest, that might mean Felix gets another chance to start a Premier League game, and make sure the fans who have paid get their money’s worth. He did well when given a chance last week, and we reckon Maresca is keen to get him involved again.