Cole Palmer has started to look like the player he was at Chelsea last season.
The England international hasn’t hit the heights expected of him this term. But there have been signs of improvement under Liam Rosenior.
It’s difficult to doubt the ability of Palmer. While having a poor season in comparison to the numbers he’s produced previously, the forward has been carrying an injury. He has started just 13 league games in 2025-26, scoring eight goals and proving one assist.
In this article, we’ll cover
Palmer’s role under Rosenior
Under Rosenior, Palmer has predominantly played on the right-hand side, while also being deployed in the 10. The 23-year-old has been tasked with looking to operate in the right half-space, where he’s often been so effective during his short career.
As you can see above, Palmer has had more of a focus on the right half-space, rather than all over the front line under Maresca. Although the role of the right winger hasn’t changed too much under Rosenior, the way the team sets up overall has been altered.
Maresca often liked to have his right-back, usually Reece James if fit, coming into central areas. Rosenior, meanwhile, plays with his full-backs taking up more traditional, wider roles.
What does this mean for Palmer? Well, when on the right-hand side, he can create combinations with the right-back. The overlapping runs of James or Malo Gusto allow Palmer to drift centrally, pulling himself away from full-backs and finding himself in space between the lines.
Full-backs in Maresca’s system were much narrower. Although it allows for more domination in central areas, it can congest the middle a little too much. It also leads to situations where the wide forwards become isolated and left in 1v1 or 1v2 situations.
Rosenior’s use of his wingers and full-backs has been an impressive change so far. The proof is always in the pudding, and with Palmer’s output improving and Pedro Neto scoring a hat-trick in their previous game, it’s clearly working.
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What the data says
Palmer failed to register a single assist in the Premier League under Maresca this season. That has only increased to one under Rosenior, but Palmer has played just four games during the Englishman’s reign. And we’ve also seen him become more productive in terms of goals.
Palmer’s non-penalty Expected Goals, touches, open-play chances created, big-chances created, and take-ons completed and attempted have all increased under Rosenior.
The English wizard is being given more opportunity to express himself in areas where he can be most effective, and Chelsea are reaping the rewards.
Palmer’s take-on attempts have jumped significantly, from 2.73 per game to 3.81. And it’s simple: make Palmer less isolated, which in turn allows him to find more space.
The Chelsea man is at his best when he’s given players to create combinations with and players he can use as dummy runs. When there are no natural full-backs, it’s difficult for him to create wide overloads and combinations.
A new duo
Since Rosenior’s first game in charge of Chelsea, no player has provided more goal contributions in the Premier League than Palmer. In second place sits Joao Pedro, and it’s no coincidence that they are both improving alongside each other.
Palmer and Joao Pedro are a duo that can work well together when they aren’t occupying the same spaces. When Palmer comes too central, he and Joao Pedro can often get in each other’s way.
Joao Pedro, when deployed in a centre-forward role, likes to drop deep to receive. He’s not a line-leading striker, and this can often lead to Palmer and Joao Pedro both wanting to receive in central areas.
Palmer being utilised more on the right-hand side has, in turn, allowed Joao Pedro to also flourish.
Palmer deserves plenty of credit for getting his season back on track in the last few weeks, but Rosenior has also earned himself some plaudits. The former Strasbourg manager has altered how Chelsea sets up and plays, but not too drastically that it has a detrimental effect.
Tweaking a system to get the best out of Palmer is certainly a green flag in a manager. Any new system that allows a player like Palmer to flourish is a positive one, as he’s a game-changing player when used correctly.
There aren’t many better attacking midfielders on their day than Palmer, and if he can continue this kind of form until the end of the season, Chelsea have a strong chance of finishing in the top four.
It’s an incredibly important few months for Palmer. As it stands, he’s far from a shoo-in for a place in England’s starting XI, and it’s up to him and Rosenior to give Thomas Tuchel some serious headaches heading into the World Cup.