Chelsea will be hoping for more of the same at the weekend when they return to Premier League action with the visit of Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues returned to winning ways in the Conference League with a comprehensive victory over Panathinaikos, where a number of their fringe players took their chance to impress manager Enzo Maresca.
Mykhailo Mudryk wowed Chelsea fans with his first goal of the season, while Maresca had plenty of praise for Renato Veiga after he impressed in an unnatural central defensive role.
The star of the show in front of goal was Joao Felix, who found the net twice and looked a cut above anyone else on the pitch.
The Portugal international has found minutes hard to come by though as he competes for a place in the side with Cole Palmer, who is performing better than anyone in England right now.
Clubs manmarking Cole Palmer a problem says Paul Merson
On Sunday against Liverpool though, Palmer failed to impress pundits, with it clear their opponents had a very clear plan for him.
Paul Merson has stated that Chelsea are going to have to deal with this problem more often, which could become an issue for them.
He said to Sportskeeda: “I just hope Chelsea don’t become flat track bullies. They failed to win against City and Liverpool. Well, you could say they did play well at Anfield last weekend but they ended up losing even then!
“Cole Palmer never touched the ball in that game. This is the problem Chelsea are going to have now, teams will stop Palmer and they have to find solutions.”
Who can step up if Palmer is man marked again?
If Palmer is man marked again on Sunday, then it will be the job of the other attackers to step up and perform.
Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke have both enjoyed really strong starts to the season, with the former in particular benefitting from a great relationship with Palmer.
The final attacking role is still up for grabs, with Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Mudryk all vying for a Premier League start.
Frank Lampard believes Neto is due for more starts after impressive cameos recently, with him registering another assist last night.
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