1 minute ago, ducavis said:

Foden was more highly rated; Palmer actually started out as LB, and even played CB but moved forward as he grew older. He was described as a slow burner by their academy staff.

Ok, but this City fan literally came on here the day we signed him and amid all of our skepticism with Palmer's signing, that City fan told us he he'd be better than Foden.

2 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I hope its just him being a young player. Bellingham has also slowed down and is having a pretty rough 2nd half of the season.

I honestly don't know how much we can put this on Maresca, especially when all our wingers + Jackson are scoring again whilst Palmer looks like the worst of the bunch.

I do think too much is being expected of him because of the first season, but also the first half of this season as well. I think we might have to accept he is going to go through a period like this. We need to bring in another player who will help contribute to creating and scoring goals like he has. If Jackson can find some form, that will help massively.

46 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Ok, but this City fan literally came on here the day we signed him and amid all of our skepticism with Palmer's signing, that City fan told us he he'd be better than Foden.

The post you are correctly remembering :

5 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I hope its just him being a young player. Bellingham has also slowed down and is having a pretty rough 2nd half of the season.

I honestly don't know how much we can put this on Maresca, especially when all our wingers + Jackson are scoring again whilst Palmer looks like the worst of the bunch.

They're all still guilty of the same problems though, overthinking. Sancho did it so many times yesterday, stutter instead of just trusting himself to pick out a pass. Jackson, even though he scored twice, he did it too. Palmer, Enzo, Madueke, I must have seen them all do it constantly. It's like they have been instructed to pass, shoot or take on a player only if it's 100% on, if there is a chance of it going wrong, then pass backwards. Don't lose the ball, play it safe if you have to. I feel like this is directly from Maresca's style of football, he's damaged them and now their confidence is rock bottom.

Edited May 2, 20251 yr by Scott Harris

6 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

They're all still guilty of the same problems though, overthinking. Sancho did it so many times yesterday, stutter instead of just trusting himself to pick out a pass. Jackson, even though he scored twice, he did it too. Palmer, Enzo, Madueke, I must have seen them all do it constantly. It's like they have been instructed to pass, shoot or take on a player only if it's 100% on, if there is a chance of it going wrong, then pass backwards. Don't lose the ball, play it safe if you have to. I feel like this is directly from Maresca's style of football, he's damaged them and now their confidence is rock bottom.

They are still performing far better than they did a few months ago. Only Palmer is the one getting worse by every match week.

Maresca is surely to blame but there needs to be accountability on the players too. Palmer, in my mind, looks depleted mentally and its normal for a young player.

3 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

They're all still guilty of the same problems though, overthinking. Sancho did it so many times yesterday, stutter instead of just trusting himself to pick out a pass. Jackson, even though he scored twice, he did it too. Palmer, Enzo, Madueke, I must have seen them all do it constantly. It's like they have been instructed to pass, shoot or take on a player only if it's 100% on, if there is a chance of it going wrong, then pass backwards. Don't lose the ball, play it safe if you have to. I feel like this is directly from Maresca's style of football, he's damaged them and now their confidence is rock bottom.

Nail on head there Scott! This is what I was referring to earlier @axman2526 but Scott sums it up much better!

Outstanding game today, looking getting back to his best! He commented about social media and idiots online! Come to this forum Cole, we love you!

We certainly need him at the peak of his powers to make the top 5.

So if that means he needs to play vs Djurgarden to continue this then so be it.

Would still like to know why he dropped off so much for that last 4 months though.

🤣

Much more like it, was fantastic today.

Good to see Palmer has his mojo back.

Unsurprisingly, the day that we played quicker and the least Maresca ball of this year, Palmer shines again.

3 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

🤣

Damn, I did not understand a word he said

Amazing that allowing a player like Palmer to find his own space and play his game rather than work in a system sees him play much much better......Maresca is a moron.

1 hour ago, dkw said:

Amazing that allowing a player like Palmer to find his own space and play his game rather than work in a system sees him play much much better......Maresca is a moron.

Free your mind man. I get it - you still think football is about creativity and scoring goals. How quaint. But what you don’t realise is that Cole Palmer doesn’t need space or freedom. What he actually needs is 4325 passes between the centre-backs to unleash him. This sacred number was unearthed in Pep’s Catalan cave of tactical mysticism - for pep lite to copy.

This isn’t your granddad’s 4-4-2 pub team, Bob Stark has assured me that this is an Inverted Pendulum Rotational Negative Box Midfield Trap. The centre-backs? They’re not passing aimlessly. They’re actually probing for structural stress fractures in the opponent's low block. We don't penetrate (well, I don't anymore - not since i got married) but instead hypnotise until opponents drop deeper. Then - boom - Cole Palmer appears in the mythical area between the lines, ghosting in from the half-space within the half-space, and unleashes a shot so pure it makes Willy Cabellero weep. Unfortunately it was ruled out, as Nicolas Jackson had fallen over in an offside position, and was busy smothering the keeper with his tail (I hope thats what it was)... but the right idea was there.

Slow cooking is the way forward. I guess I am more evolved and can appreciate a 0.03 xG chance built over 117 sequences of possession recycling.

His movement to divert Jones for the first goal was seriously world class.

13 hours ago, Phillip said:

Damn, I did not understand a word he said

I was struggling as well. Good thing I at least was forewarned about the "sh*t happens", I wouldn't have been able to decypher that either 😁

Liverpool had an incredible amount of possession yesterday so maybe Palmer had more space and time when we got the ball.

Good to see him dispatch that penalty with confidence.

Did he actually win "sexiest footballer" of the year?

I accept that I am not the best placed to judge on what is considered hot in the modern world - but the cold one always seemed to me to be a bit....well, a bit, Bash Street Kids....

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

Did he actually win "sexiest footballer" of the year?

Seriously??!

Already broke the club's Top 10 goal scorers ever, even with him coasting these past few months.

2 hours ago, Valerie said:

Seriously??!

Not sure....but looks like it, unless its a wind up!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/33583188/cole-palmer-sexiest-footballer-bellingham-grealish-ronaldo/

8 hours ago, dkw said:

Amazing that allowing a player like Palmer to find his own space and play his game rather than work in a system sees him play much much better......Maresca is a moron.

Or maybe Maresca now trusts his team to win the ball and give Palmer the freedom to roam, with Enzo, Caicedo and Lavia surrounding him. Some people think we played open until Maresca's tactics took over, maybe we played more open when Lavia and Fofana were fit, because we could deal with the consequences of opening up.

13 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

Bob Stark has assured me that this is an Inverted Pendulum Rotational Negative Box Midfield Trap.

In fairness, @Bob stark thinks all tactical things are bullsh*t!

6 minutes ago, SydneyChelsea said:

In fairness, @Bob stark thinks all tactical things are bullsh*t!

It is actually the other way around. I actually like tactic, I like to understand and analyze what is the idea behind a tactic and how it can give you advantage. I wrote how Maresca central progression tactic give our team good advantage.

I just hate when tactic is being considered magical stuff. Win = good tactic, lose = bad tactic.

You can see this very clearly in this forum. Many called Maresca a genius/elite early this season and now pretty much everyone think his tactic suck. But I am not sure his tactic is the problem.

Playing the same tactic with Lavia receiving the ball from cb vs Caicedo has very different impact.

Playing the same tactic with gusto/cucu free in half space vs Palmer has very different impact.

Playing the same tactic with Palmer out form vs in form has very different impact.

In the end of the day, player form/quality/fitness has far more impact than tactic.