Chelsea are no longer being carried by Cole Palmer, with the supporting cast now stepping up according to ESPN journalist Gabriele Marcotti.
The Blues have made a really good start to the season and made it three wins in a row in all competitions with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Having gone three games without a goal contribution Palmer was back amongst the goals with a brilliant finish against Villa, whilst Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez both scored for the second week running.
Marcotti believes Palmer is no longer carrying Chelsea
Since Palmer arrived at Chelsea he’s established himself as the main man, and he picked up yet another award this week.
The Blues soon got themselves the tag of “Palmer FC” and it felt like if Palmer didn’t contribute Chelsea were unlikely to win matches, which to an certain extent was a fair point.
Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea against Arsenal. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Palmer has been Chelsea’s main man since he joined the club in 2023. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Teams have key players but to be so reliant on one player isn’t healthy for team dynamic, but Enzo Maresca has found a way to get the Blues playing well and getting results even if Palmer isn’t contributing.
The signings of Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix and Pedro Neto have obviously helped as there are more top quality options and despite Palmer still leading the way with goal contributions this campaign the supporting cast have certainly stepped up.
Following the win against Villa Marcotti claimed the Blues are now longer being carried by Palmer, which is a good thing.
“Cole Palmer is no longer carrying Chelsea and that’s a good thing,” he wrote for ESPN.
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“It’s not that he was subpar, in fact he offered up his usual threat on the ball and delivered a gorgeous goal to seal the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, it’s just that the supporting cast are now clicking nicely.”
Whilst the feeling is very much that Palmer is still the main man it feels like the Blues don’t need him to be at his very best every week to pick up positive results and Maresca deserves credit for that as do the supporting cast for stepping up.