Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has explained what he’s been instructing Cole Palmer to do in recent games.
Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be enjoying this international break after three consecutive wins for his side across all competitions, albeit there’s a very difficult run of fixtures just around the corner.
There’s no doubt that Cole Palmer, 21, has been one of the key figures in the team recently.
The attacking midfielder has been scoring and assisting for Chelsea, which is why he’s looking like one of their best signings of the summer window.
Pochettino has mentioned in an interview this week that he’s been using Palmer in a real fluid position on the pitch.
The left-footed playmaker has been lining up as a right-winger in the starting XI, but he’s got the licence to drift anywhere he wants to get involved with attacks.
“Cole Palmer is a good player that links with his teammates. We are giving him the starting position on the right, but we give freedom to play between the lines because he’s ready to read what the team needs and to be unpredictable,” Pochettino told the club’s official YouTube account.
Palmer definitely suits this role at Chelsea.
The 21-year-old possesses the creative spark which has been missing in recent times, so it’s a no-brainer to allow him the freedom to get on the ball as much as possible.
BBC pundit Pat Nevin has suggested that Manchester City made a mistake selling Palmer to Chelsea in the summer, as quoted by BBC Sport. We’re inclined to agree with him, too.
The young creator has a lovely weight of pass and vision in the final third, so Chelsea need him in possession in clever pockets of space.
It’s obvious that the relationship with his teammates will grow over time the longer they play together, with strikers Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson likely to be the biggest winners from his presence in the XI.
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