Maresca not worried by Palmer form or body language

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Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca has stated that he is not worried about Cole Palmer's performance or his demeanor.

The Italian coach spoke about the England international's decline in form during Chelsea's period of only two victories from their last ten matches across all competitions.

The 22-year-old attacker has failed to find the net in his last six games in all competitions and has not provided an assist in his previous thirteen matches.

However, in 2024, he set a Chelsea record with 26 goals and 13 assists, outperforming any other player in the Premier League over the past calendar year.

When questioned about Palmer's difficulties ahead of Southampton’s visit to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League match on Tuesday, Maresca responded, "No, I am not worried about him.

"I always have concerns about overall performances, but not about Cole, as he is a person who can have phases in a season where he doesn't perform as well.

"We expect a goal or an assist in every match, but that can be challenging. Right now, his team’s struggles are reflected in his inability to score. We must be more effective when we have opportunities.

"Cole is simply frustrated by our lack of victories. There’s nothing more to it."

Maresca mentioned Palmer's missed opportunities against Manchester City and Aston Villa while dispelling the notion that he appears upset with his teammates, though he acknowledged that Chelsea may be too dependent on him to be the one to secure victories.

Maresca commented, "The issue with Cole is that we depend on him for everything.

"I've maintained from the beginning that the entire team needs to be relied upon. Certainly, there are exceptional players like Cole, but we are not concerned about him at all."

Maresca also indicated that goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen would start on Tuesday, despite his significant mistake at Villa Park that led to Marco Asensio's winning goal, and noted that defender Trevoh Chalobah will be unavailable for "a week to 10 days."