Enzo Maresca has urged his sluggish Chelsea team to step up while Cole Palmer is still in the boot camp, saying that “we rely on Cole for everything.”
The attacking midfielder from England has this season’s Premier League scored 14 goals and contributed six assists, but his last goal was in mid-January and he last scored on December 1.
Chelsea, who lost their first four games to runaway leader Liverpool in mid-December, is just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who are now just two points behind them.
Maresca, preparing his team to host rock-bottom Southampton on Tuesday, said he was not worried about Palmer’s dip in form.
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Cole is a human being, and during the season, he might experience some struggles, he said to reporters on Monday. “I’m not concerned about him.
“We rely on Cole for everything, and I’ve said that we need to rely on the team,” Cole said. For sure we need big players, top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all”.
He added: “Every game we expect from him a goal or assist. It’s difficult, he’s a human being, he’s a player. At this moment, probably his performance also reflects a little bit the team performance.
When we have the chance, we need to be a little more analytical. “We struggle to score goals.
The Italian, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, remains upbeat over Chelsea’s form as they chase a Champions League place.
” Even against Villa (a 2-1 defeat on Saturday), I think the identity was there, “he said”. Our play on and off the field was very similar to what we were doing earlier in the season.
“So the identity is there. After the Aston Villa game, I said that now I think we can have a good run and maintain good momentum. That is what the players need right now, in my opinion.
Source: Channels TV
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