Enzo Maresca has hit back at critics of Cole Palmer’s recent form, reminding them that the Englishman is "a human being."
Palmer has been Chelsea’s standout player since his £42.5 million move from Manchester City in the summer of 2023, amassing 39 goals and 21 assists in 74 appearances.
However, the 22-year-old has struggled in recent weeks, failing to register a goal contribution in his last five Premier League outings. His most recent performance in the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday saw Chelsea slip to seventh place in the table.
Speaking to the media ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Southampton on Tuesday night, Maresca defended Palmer when asked about his dip in form.
"I am not concerned about him," said the Italian. "I am always concerned about general performances but not Cole because Cole is a human being and always during a season he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more."
"The problem is with Cole, we rely on Cole for everything and I've said from the start, we need to rely on the team," he added.
Against Villa, Palmer cut a frustrated figure—not just with himself for missing chances and misplacing passes, but also with his teammates.
Most notably, the England international was visibly exasperated with Christopher Nkunku after the Frenchman squandered an opportunity he had set up, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration.
Asked if Palmer he's noticed Palmer becoming increasingly frustrated at teammates failing to convert chances he creates in recent weeks, Maresca said: "No, because also the other teammates can be frustrated with the chances we missed against Aston Villa, and we miss against Man City. I think both chances were Cole, no?"
"Cole is just upset because we're not winning games, no more than that," he explained.
Maresca right about Palmer, but it's his problem to fix
Everything Chelsea says
Maresca’s claim that Chelsea rely too much on Palmer is absolutely valid—they do. His teammates constantly look to him to produce moments of brilliance and bail them out week after week.
What Maresca fails to acknowledge, however, is that he’s guilty of the same thing.
Rather than addressing key issues across the pitch – such as the lack of a reliable striker and his constant rotation of wingers – he continues to depend on Palmer as the one player who must always deliver.
He needs to get more out of Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho in wide areas, coach Nkunku to stop occupying the same spaces as Palmer, and establish a defined role for Enzo Fernández instead of shifting him around.
Maresca can point out that the team leans too heavily on Palmer, but it’s his job to ensure they don’t.
Right now, he’s not doing that, and Chelsea are suffering badly because of it.
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