Cole Palmer came back from a month-long absence against Brentford and immediately showed what Chelsea missed during this period.
The Blues ended up conceding a late equaliser to the Bees last Saturday, but it wasn’t all bad news for them at Gtech Community Stadium. Cole Palmer, who had spent almost one month sidelined due to a groin injury, returned in style.
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He entered the pitch 10 minutes into the second half and needed just five to make his mark. The No.10 scored to make it 1-1 in the 61st minute and was the main reason why Chelsea looked so lively in the second half after a dull first one.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Cole Palmer gave life to the Chelsea attack
The Blues struggled to threaten Brentford in the first 45 minutes and went to the break trailing 0-1. However, everything changed when Enzo Maresca subbed Jamie Gittens off for Palmer.
He had, by himself in 34 minutes, as many attempts as Chelsea as a whole in the first half (5). It was also over 50% of the Blues’ shots during his time on the pitch (5/9).
| Chelsea stats | 1st half | 2nd half |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Shots | 5 | 11 |
| Big chances | 0 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.30 | 0.95 |
| Possession | 70% | 61% |
In addition, Palmer was responsible for both of Chelsea’s big chances in the game. He scored the first to bring his side level and missed the second while it was still 1-1. Though Caoimhin Kelleher deserves more praise for saving it than Palmer deserves blame for missing it.
Link up between Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro shows promise
Both Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro thrive with the presence of a striker ahead of them. But Chelsea are short on that department following Liam Delap’s injury.
And despite none of them being true number nines, they can actually feed off of each other. The fact that they linked up for the Blues’ equaliser is a promising sign for Enzo Maresca and the fans.
Pedro has more of a physical presence and can act as a hub for long balls and hold-up play. That’s exactly the role he played to provide Palmer with an assist, winning an aerial duel inside the box.
The opposite can also happen – though in a different way. Palmer is not the kind of player to battle with opposing defenders, but can charge forward with Joao Pedro either trailing the play or projecting himself on the last shoulder. This is how he scored Chelsea’s third goal in the Fifa Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, following a beautiful pass from the No.10.
Palmer’s electric 35 minutes on the pitch against Brentford and his early chemistry with Joao Pedro could be exactly what they need to compete against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Vincent Kompany’s men are on a roll with five wins from five games so far this season. In the Bundesliga, they’ve scored 14 goals and conceded two in the first three matches. The Bavarians have also had 19 clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in their favour and zero against in the league.
Chelsea will need all the help they can get in order to try and leave Allianz Arena with at least one point. Cole Palmer’s return – especially the way it happened, with a good performance – was right on time for their UCL ambitions.