Cole Palmer: Chelsea star's output crash 'a mental thing', says Enzo Maresca ahead of Everton clash

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca insists that neither tactics nor ability are the issue when it comes to Cole Palmer's recent poor form. Instead, the Italian believes it is "mental" and that the England international can rediscover his early-season performances that fired The Blues into second in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals in 23 games, as they chase UEFA Champions League qualification.

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Enzo Maresca has said that Cole Palmer’s dip in goalscoring form is "a mental thing".

The Chelsea manager has seen his talisman’s output fall off a cliff in recent weeks, with Palmer’s last goal in all competitions coming against Bournemouth back in January in a 2-2 draw at home.

Since then, he has laid on only three assists as The Blues challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot, but they need their star man to be firing to have the best chance of climbing back into the top five.

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That is a run of 16 games without a goal for Palmer, who had before that scored 14 in 23 appearances.

Maresca’s side face Everton at Stamford Bridge in the Saturday lunchtime offering, and you can watch the game exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The Italian believes that Palmer’s lapse in numbers is in his head, rather than having anything to do with Chelsea’s tactical set-up or the player’s ability.

"For sure it's a mental thing; it's not tactical or technical," Maresca said.

"Cole is still the player who scored 14 goals in 20 games [sic]. The style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same. Nothing has changed around Cole. It's just mentally in this moment.

"You can see he's a little bit worried because he wants to help the team. You can see he's struggling a bit on that. But he showed how happy he was after Fulham. It's just a matter [of whether] we can win games. For sure he's going to score goals.

"If you go back game-by-game, he had at least every game one or two chances, so it's not about how the team is playing."

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Palmer won’t have his manager to lean on against Everton with Maresca serving a one-game touchline ban having received a third yellow card of the season in the dramatic 2-1 win over Fulham last weekend, and Willy Caballero, the former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper, will lead the side as Maresca’s assistant.

"They asked me if I need someone next to me [in the stands]," Maresca said of his pitchside ban.

"I don't know if I'll be alone or if I'll be with someone. Tomorrow I'll try to be in the way I always try to be.

"When the manager is not there, it's for the leadership group to step forward and take responsibility."

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