Keep smiling and goals will come – Maresca tells Palmer

Manager Enzo Maresca, who believes the goals will then be returned, has encouraged Cole Palmer to keep working and laughing.

The 22-year-old, who is Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, has not found the net in his past seven appearances.

Chelsea, however, defeated the Premier League strugglers 4-0 to return to the top four despite his most recent blank against Southampton on Tuesday night.

Palmer missed a lot of big chances throughout the game, despite four Chelsea players being on the scoresheet.

However, Chelsea manager Maresca said his team is still “happy” with Palmer and that the player should continue to be upbeat despite their star man’s inability to end his goal drought.

“He has to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh the way he does”, Maresca told BBC Match of the Day.

Palmer started the season in red-hot form for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and creating six assists across his first 21 Premier League appearances. However, he has zero goal involvements since.

Many Chelsea supporters and Fantasy Football fans had anticipated the home match between Chelsea and a Southampton side, who are bottom of the league and have the worst defensive record, as the game where Palmer would start his goalscoring career.

With seven shots, the former Manchester City player’s combined highest total for a Chelsea player this season, the former man did end several chances.

In the first half, Palmer wasted two wonderful chances when Aaron Ramsdale saved one and dragged another wide. He blasted a cutback over the bar after the restart.

In total, his chances accumulated to an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.07.

After he had a late free-kick saved by Ramsdale, Palmer reacted by smiling, appearing to see the funny side of his barren run, which Maresca praised in his post-match press conference.

“It is how you react. He is reacting perfectly. He is happy and smiling. We have no doubt he will score more goals”, Maresca said.

“He’s a human being. All human beings, all big players, all the normal players, big club, big manager – we all go through a bad moment.

Even though he is young, he and another big player have similar experiences.

Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku both scored goals and assisted others on Tuesday.

With striker Nicolas Jackson absent with a thigh injury, Neto, who was signed as a winger, once again played centrally in a false-nine role.

” We needed to find a solution, “added Maresca”. We tried one game with Palmer and we tried one game with Nkunku, Brighton away – didn’t work well.

“So we tried it with Pedro the following week and it turned out to be successful. I think Villa away he did fantastic. He probably give us a threat in-behind.

Neto scored Chelsea’s second, running on to a Nkunku through-ball before calmly finishing past Ramsdale.

” He is not just receiving the ball at the feet, “added Maresca”. He also likes to attack in-behind something which Cole and Christopher struggle]to do]. “

About 100 Chelsea fans chanted and carried banners and chants before the game against Southampton.

The BlueCo consortium, led by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, has controlled the club for almost three years.

” The only thing I can say is that in this moment the fans have to trust, “said Maresca.

” We’re in the right process and the right direction. We’ve been playing the top four games of the season since we first started.