Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Leicester City may have secured three vital points for the Blues in their pursuit of Champions League football, but much of the post-match conversation centred around Cole Palmer.
The England international was subbed off in the 73rd minute and headed straight down the tunnel - a moment that encapsulated another frustrating day for the Englishman.
Manager Enzo Maresca later revealed the context behind Palmer's performance and substitution.
"It's very easy: Cole, yesterday, didn't train and during the night, he didn't feel well," Maresca explained post-match. "The reason why he didn't train yesterday is because he didn't feel well.
"This morning, he woke up and he asked me, 'I want to be on the pitch because I want to help this team, this club to play Champions League'.
"So in the last two days, he was completely out. Fever, is it something I can say in English? Diarrhoea. In the last 48 hours, he didn't train with the fever and this bad feeling. This morning, he asked to play the game and this shows how these players want to bring the club where it belongs to."
Palmer’s determination to play was evident, but it was a tough day at the office.
The midfielder missed a golden opportunity to end his scoring drought when his first-half penalty was saved by Mads Hermansen. It marked the first penalty miss of Palmer’s senior career, breaking a streak of 12 successful spot-kicks in the Premier League.
Palmer's penalty miss was emblematic of his recent struggles. The 22-year-old has now gone nine games without a goal in all competitions, his last coming on January 14 against Bournemouth. Similarly, his last assist dates back to December 1, making this the longest barren spell of his Chelsea career.
Despite these setbacks, Palmer remains Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals this season. However, his creative influence has waned, with key statistics showing a decline. Since his last assist, Palmer’s chance creation has dropped from 2.8 per 90 minutes to 2.5, and open-play chances have fallen from 2.5 to 1.8.
Interestingly, the quality of chances he’s created has improved, with his expected assists rising to 0.30 per game from 0.22. This suggests his teammates have struggled to capitalise on the opportunities he provides.
**Digging into the numbers**
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Palmer’s current form contrasts sharply with his record-breaking performances in 2024, when he scored 26 goals and provided 13 assists - more than any other Premier League player that year. Now, the numbers behind his slump tell a more nuanced story.
In pursuit of a goal, Palmer has been taking more shots - averaging 4.2 per game compared to 3.6 earlier in the season. However, his expected goals (xG) metric, excluding penalties, has dropped from 0.46 to 0.39, indicating a decline in the quality of chances he’s been getting.
Touches in the opposition box have increased from 4.0 to 5.2 per game, showing Palmer’s involvement in attacking areas hasn’t diminished. Still, his confidence appears to be wavering, as evidenced by missed opportunities in recent games, including the Southampton match where he squandered several big chances.
Palmer’s form will be under scrutiny as Chelsea enter a critical phase of the season. With London derbies on the horizon, the midfielder has an opportunity to silence his critics and rediscover the spark that made him one of the Premier League’s standout players last year.
For now, though, Palmer’s willingness to play through illness and his underlying stats suggest his slump may be more about circumstance than a prolonged decline.
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