Enzo Maresca has revealed Cole Palmer doesn’t practice penalties in training and described the England international as not a normal player.
Palmer was instrumental as the Blues recorded their fourth Premier League win in a row after coming from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3.
The 22-year-old put in another man of the match performance as he scored twice from the penalty spot, the second an audacious Panenka, with Enzo Fernandez also getting on the score sheet for the third time in the last four games.
Palmer not a normal player
Having gone three games without a goal contribution Palmer now has four goals in the last three games and is just two goals behind Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
Paul Merson and Jamie Carragher were full of praise for Palmer’s performance and he’s very much showing last season wasn’t a one off.
Palmer already has 17 goal contributions in 15 league games and is on course to match his achievements from last season, which saw him named Premier League Young Player of the Year.
Enzo Maresca with Cole Palmer after a win over Aston Villa. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Palmer has scored 11 goals in15 league games this season. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Despite the supporting cast stepping up and Chelsea being the top scorers in the league, Palmer is still very much the main man, and after the game Maresca revealed he didn’t practice penalties and described him as a not a normal player.
“Since we started, I have not seen Cole shooting penalties. In terms of the second penalty, he’s Cole. He’s Cole,” he told his post match press conference.
When pressed on how he’s so good at them if he doesn’t practice Maresca responded:
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Jadon Sancho celebrates his first Chelsea goal. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Stamford Bridge interior, generic.
A Chelsea flag in the evening at Stamford Bridge.
“Because Cole belongs to that kind of players. They are not normal players, they are top players. Top players do things that normal players, or us, cannot do that. It’s because he’s top. We can expect this from him.”
Palmer isn’t in the squad for the Conference League so will have the night off on Thursday as Chelsea travel to Kazakhstan to take on Astana, and he will be well rested for Sunday’s game against Brentford at Stamford Bridge.