43 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

The fact that Maresca had a fully fit and available Nkunku who is a more than able replacement,  and yet played Palmer when not fully fit and subsequenyly aggravated his injury is frankly reprehensible.

Palmer needs a rest. The bits of sublime skill are all still there but I think he’s lost a bit of intensity the last 3 or 4 games. The way teams set up for him now is part of it.

We need to have a plan B line up without him and have it tested at PL level. I get why Maresca played him yesterday as it was a huge game but it was a massive gamble that didn’t really work and will have big repercussions if he’s injured over the next month or two 

 

i am surprised how chelsea fans are buying into the hate and jealousy rival fans want to pile on palmer.. I think it is quite simple for any 10 to be involved you need a striker who can hold the ball up and win something in the air.. Jackson has been piss poor when it comes to hold up play.. and he is not able to bring in any of our forward line into play.. 

To find palmer during build up will always be tough but if we can mix it up a little bit and Jackson actually make something stick then we are in business.. so my advice to folks on here about how he doesnt perform in big games.. well its not just a palmer problem.. untill we have a striker who can hold something up to feed our 10 this will be the case.

Edited November 12, 20241 yr by Jangz

5 minutes ago, Jangz said:

i am surprised how chelsea fans are buying into the hate and jealousy rival fans want to pile on palmer.. I think it is quite simple for any 10 to be involved you need a striker who can hold the ball up and win something in the air.. Jackson has been piss poor when it comes to hold up play.. and he is not able to bring in any of our forward line into play.. 

To find palmer during build up will always be tough but if we can mix it up a little bit and Jackson actually make something stick then we are in business.. so my advice to folks on here about how he doesnt perform in big games.. well its not just a palmer problem.. untill we have a striker who can hold something up to feed our 10 this will be the case.

I kind of agree but the same if not more could be said the other way round. If Noni and Palmer are below par, which both have been over the last few games, then Jackson’s not getting any decent service. 
 

Jackson’s weakness is that he doesn’t really make anything happen on his own. All strikers need service but the best can score on their own. Jackson’s pace is a big asset but the strength needed to play that way isn’t there……yet.

Im not saying Jackson is in the same league as Didier but their first season’s at the club were similar. Drogba wasn’t the beast he became back then so Jackson definitely has potential but I agree we need another option. Nkunku might fill in until January or the summer but I don’t think he’s the answer either.

 

Palmer, Fofana and Colwill pull out of international duty. 

Edited November 12, 20241 yr by Sconnie Blue

12 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Palmer, Fofana and Colwill pull out of international duty. 

I think Fofana did the same in the last international break. 

Unfortunately Caicedo has a huge trek ahead of him. So does Enzo.

6 hours ago, axman2526 said:

I think Fofana did the same in the last international break. 

Unfortunately Caicedo has a huge trek ahead of him. So does Enzo.

Enzo jnr fine but I'm worried about caicedo and how much playing time he has this season.

6 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Palmer, Fofana and Colwill pull out of international duty. 

Brilliant news

If we are to start winning big games, we do need our talisman to stand up and influence games more. Much like Hazard did on a consistent basis. 

Other than the last min winner vs Utd, all Palmers goals in big games have been pens.

The are 2 things affecting palmer. 1  is his positioning and the second is that he is missing Enzo fernandez.  . He is best in the right half space but unfortunately that position is being taken by Gusto who offers nothing in attack. And he is being doubled and tripled  up by teams b3cause they know caicedo and lavia are not attacking threats.

 

We need to go back to how it was with cucurella inverting and Enzo playing with palmer . Unfortunately only one of caicedo and lavia should be starting

32 minutes ago, KonaKai Blue said:

If we are to start winning big games, we do need our talisman to stand up and influence games more. Much like Hazard did on a consistent basis. 

Other than the last min winner vs Utd, all Palmers goals in big games have been pens.

Think I read somewhere he was MOTM in 3 out of 8 games against the traditional big 6 last season.

Maresca needs to come up with a plan B for Cole now the "bug" sides are double or triple marking him. Pool, Arsenal and United all done it successfully.

Palmer out to the right may well destroy their plans, leaving the 10 free for Nkunku, or Felix. If they wander players out from the middle to the right to watch Cole, may well be a big hole for Felix or Nkunku to exploit.

And then there is when Estevao arrives, and Paez.

1 minute ago, axman2526 said:

Maresca needs to come up with a plan B for Cole now the "bug" sides are double or triple marking him. Pool, Arsenal and United all done it successfully.

Palmer out to the right may well destroy their plans, leaving the 10 free for Nkunku, or Felix. If they wander players out from the middle to the right to watch Cole, may well be a big hole for Felix or Nkunku to exploit.

And then there is when Estevao arrives, and Paez.

That's the thing though, even with Cole as a 10 and being marked out by 2 or more players then there should be space there already for the wingers and the #8 to step up and create chances. 

In the 10 he even has the chance to drag them all over the pitch, left and right, leaving gaps for both. Noni is too fkn selfish, sancho is ill, Enzo jnr (#8) comes on late after the double pivot have reduced the sting so all we have atm is Neto. 

I badly want to slap noni...he's better than that!

46 minutes ago, Simplymo said:

That's the thing though, even with Cole as a 10 and being marked out by 2 or more players then there should be space there already for the wingers and the #8 to step up and create chances. 

In the 10 he even has the chance to drag them all over the pitch, left and right, leaving gaps for both. Noni is too fkn selfish, sancho is ill, Enzo jnr (#8) comes on late after the double pivot have reduced the sting so all we have atm is Neto. 

I badly want to slap noni...he's better than that!

Then we have to wait for Estevao, or play Nkunku or Felix on the left.

The wingers and ST need to be doing more. 

Jackson and Madueke are showing why they shouldn't be starting for us, and only now has Neto stepped up. 

45 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

The wingers and ST need to be doing more. 

Jackson and Madueke are showing why they shouldn't be starting for us, and only now has Neto stepped up. 

Agreed mate.

Yet Maresca stubbornly sticks with those two, not even willing to sub Jacko at a decent time.

Seems it is based on their ability to defend, as Nkunku and Felix offer nothing defensively.

So our forwards are picked based on who defends best, and our right back picked to be our number 10 going forward. If said right back was a fullt fit Reece James, Cafu  or Dani Alves I could accept that, but it is not, is Malo Gusto, who cannot shoot, cannot head the ball, creates zip all and cannot score.

If the forwards were Drogba, Duff and Joe Cole I could also back the idea. As they delivered a lot going forward as well as defended from the front.

But Jacko and Noni are not, and never will be, fit to lace their boots,either defensively or offensively. 

Edited November 12, 20241 yr by axman2526

3 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

The wingers and ST need to be doing more. 

Jackson and Madueke are showing why they shouldn't be starting for us, and only now has Neto stepped up. 

Tbh I'd prefer the wingers and #8. The #9 for me needs to stay a 9. Unless using the double pivot but even then we've seen lavia and caicedo being capable of taking the ball forward.

With a #8: the #9 should be creating that gap/space with palmer by occupying the cbs. Running them ragged.

I would want my #9 right on the cbs shoulders pulling them left or right in coordination with palmer (when marked by 2 or more), creating that pocket/space, inbetween them, for the wingers to come inside and take the shot. Or if the #9 brings the cbs forward then wingers over lap that space on the outside, they left behind, to cross in for the 8. It's part of the reason for the 8 being a "box to box" player imo. 

Obviously it's different if using the double pivot and no number 8. Jacko had to come back.

You can see it in the arsenal game when jacko was on the edge of our box and did the link up with caicedo who then releases Neto for his run. Unfortunately Neto's cross was too high that time (for noni) iirc. 

But caicedo and lavia are more than capable of being that 8 in short bits during a game.

 

I guess it's just time...they need time to gel more. They need time to be able to react to what the other is doing. The more they play and practice together, the more they will pick these things up. I know many will think these things are nothing and simple but it takes time to get used to each other.

Edited November 12, 20241 yr by Simplymo

On 13/11/2024 at 02:14, axman2526 said:

Maresca needs to come up with a plan B for Cole now the "bug" sides are double or triple marking him. Pool, Arsenal and United all done it successfully.

It's not about Plan B for Palmer, it's about others stepping up and having more control of the game overall.

Partey was able to man-mark Palmer as the game went on, because Arsenal realised we had few other threats. However, Neto scored from a position that the DM really should have had covered. Had we taken our chances and gone 1-0 up, there is no way that Partey could have continued to man-mark Palmer as effectively without seriously compromising the rest of the team.

In comparison, Arsenal were still relatively threatening (though blunted) even though Saka was anonymous. 

This

11 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

It's not about Plan B for Palmer, it's about others stepping up and having more control of the game overall.

Partey was able to man-mark Palmer as the game went on, because Arsenal realised we had few other threats. However, Neto scored from a position that the DM really should have had covered. Had we taken our chances and gone 1-0 up, there is no way that Partey could have continued to man-mark Palmer as effectively without seriously compromising the rest of the team.

In comparison, Arsenal were still relatively threatening (though blunted) even though Saka was anonymous. 

What I was trying to say above too.

Palmer is a marked man, we knew that may happen coming into this season. The others need to step up, especially wingers, strikers and the #8.

We have a few different teams coming up in our next run compared to the set inbetween the last international breaks we had.

They need to gel and understand each other to pull defences apart (literally too), and hopefully with some "easier" teams the players can try a few things.

Maresca isn't as rigid as we all assumed, he wants order and tactics but I doubt is drawing a white line on which the players have to run. They need to figure a few things out themselves too. Especially being able to read their team mates.

It's still early in rgds to this journey. We literally started from scratch 3 yrs ago and only got a "long term" manager this year. 

With a Chelsea legend. Clue: the legend had his 80th birthday yesterday.

13 hours ago, Boyne said:

With a Chelsea legend. Clue: the legend had his 80th birthday yesterday.

Obviously Mr Ronald Harris. 

Palmer trained with Zola this week, just showed it on Football Focus.

Passing to each other and hitting it from outside the goal area.

Zola was asking good questions about how he saw the opportunities and showed him sometimes how he had to make the ball work when the chance did not fall on the right side.

Nice to see, though for me Hazard was Zola's successor not sure on who Palmer is like though hope he keeps showing the magic. 

 

 

 

Not the same as I saw yet neat just the same

 

Little off the boil of late. Hopefully having Felix with him will help take the focus off him a little.

10 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Little off the boil of late. Hopefully having Felix with him will help take the focus off him a little.

Not convinced that works, actually creates a big problem. Felix is coming inside and not staying high and wide, he is taking up the spaces Palmer would normally occupy. 
 

Glad someone else has noticed he has been off the boil. Maresca needs to be hooking him around the 70min if things aren’t working.

 

Edited November 23, 20241 yr by ducavis

5 hours ago, strider6004 said:

Palmer trained with Zola this week, just showed it on Football Focus.

Passing to each other and hitting it from outside the goal area.

Zola was asking good questions about how he saw the opportunities and showed him sometimes how he had to make the ball work when the chance did not fall on the right side.

Nice to see, though for me Hazard was Zola's successor not sure on who Palmer is like though hope he keeps showing the magic. 

 

 

 

Zola was special my favourite player and reason why i started supporting chelsea. I think Palmer resembles Juan Mata as a no10 role. Can do everything Mata did and has a higher ceiling in my opinion.