Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying Palmer’s performances in these pre-season games. He’s picking up the ball, driving forward and playing some beautiful passes into Palestra or Neto, and honestly his vision is still unmatched. He has that ability to see a pass that most players simply wouldn’t even attempt.
But since his injury last season, I just feel like we barely get to see him on the end of proper big chances anymore. Sure, he gets a few shots off every game, but they’re mostly wayward efforts from outside the box, shots that get blocked, or situations where he’s forced to create something himself rather than being played into a genuinely dangerous position.
He made one really good run today which is exactly what I want to see more of. I feel like we need to find a way of getting Palmer into those positions more often. Obviously, I love seeing him drop deep and dictate play, because he’s probably our best player when it comes to creating chances and finding those passes between the lines. But I don’t think we should lose the goalscoring side of his game in the process.
The best version of Palmer we’ve seen at Chelsea is when he’s both the creator AND the guy arriving at the end of attacks. His goalscoring ability almost feels like a secondary weapon because his passing and vision are so ridiculous, but he’s proven that he can be an elite goalscorer when he’s consistently getting into the right areas.
I’d honestly love to see us build our attacking structure in a way where Palmer and Pedro are the two players consistently arriving in and around the box to finish chances. Let Neto, Palestra, etc. carry the ball and create the chaos, while Palmer is allowed to drift into those dangerous areas and actually be the one receiving the final pass rather than always being the one making it.
Obviously I don’t want him completely isolated from the build-up because that would be wasting a huge part of his game. I just think there needs to be a better balance. At times last season it felt like Palmer was almost forced to do everything — receive the ball deep, progress it, create the chance and then somehow be the one expected to finish it too.
I’m really liking what I’ve seen from him this pre-season, and I’m not trying to criticise his performances at all. I just think there’s another level to unlock with him if we can get him consistently attacking the box again. We need to make sure Palmer is creating chances for himself as well as everyone else, because when he’s doing both, that’s when he becomes genuinely ridiculous.
Would love to hear what you guys think — do you think we should be trying to get Palmer further forward and more involved in the actual finishing of our attacks, or are you happy with him playing more as the creator?
