Chelsea need 'Cold' Palmer's tepid form to improve

PHILADELPHIA -- Hanging from the iconic City Hall building in Philadelphia is a banner advertising the FIFA Club World Cup, with five players in action.

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé takes centre stage, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland looking off to the right; Juventus and United States star Timothy Weah is below; while, on the other side, Flamengo's Giorgian de Arrascaeta stands on his shoulder.

The final figure, pointing with purpose, is Cole Palmer. It is level of profile the 23-year-old is still coming to terms with, given that his burgeoning popularity is the product of a fledgling career that has included just 89 Premier League appearances and 12 England caps.

"It has been quick in terms of how fast it has happened," he said last week. "But it is a nice feeling and if I keep performing and keep doing stuff hopefully it will get better and bigger."

At one point, it seemed that Palmer's ability to keep performing was unstoppable. For so long, his improvement was rapid and exponential ever since signing from Manchester City in September 2023 for £42.5 million.

In Chelsea's 2-2 with Bournemouth on Jan. 14, Palmer delivered another mesmeric masterclass, including scoring the opening goal with typical style. At that point last season, it was his 20th goal involvement -- 14 goals and six assists -- in 21 league matches and further evidence that he was clearly the talisman of modern-day Chelsea.

Nobody predicted what came next: one goal (a penalty) and three assists in the final 17 league matches of the season. Beyond the lack of end-product, the freedom of expression in Palmer's play disappeared. The kid playing on instinct was second-guessing himself, something he admitted to after suddenly sparking back into life during last month's UEFA Conference League final.

After 45 minutes of collective slumber against Real Betis in Wroclaw, Palmer produced two stunning assists to turn a 1-0 deficit into what ultimately became a 4-1 win, delivering the first trophy of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital era. "I was sick of going backwards or sideways," Palmer said when asked what led to his first inspired assist, a brilliant dart inside and cross for Enzo Fernández to convert from close range.

Critics would argue he has been going backwards for some time. Moments after Friday's 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field, Flamengo's social media team seized the opportunity to mock their opponents' star player by posting the high-temperature weather details with the caption "Too hot for 'Cold Palmer,'" in reference to his trademark shiver celebration.

They subsequently deleted the message, but the point had been made: in amongst Chelsea's collective struggles, Palmer is currently some way short of living up to his poster-boy billing.

Part of Palmer's charm is his refreshing lack of filter. He is a man of few words but almost every interview he does still goes viral, whether it is in expressing his fondness for "chippy chips," not understanding what a questioner meant by a.m. and p.m. or, bizarrely, screaming when holding a chimpanzee.

While addressing assembled media at Philadelphia Union's Subaru Park training base late last week, there was another handful of gems you could pick from: He told reporters he wears a mask on flights because he doesn't like the smell of planes; he doesn't particularly care for Starbucks; he spoke to new Chelsea signing Estêvão -- who will join from Palmeiras after the Club World Cup -- but only via Google Translate; he had no interest in visiting Philly's famous Rocky Steps, despite the team hotel being located a 20-minute walk away.

Palmer's appeal is found in how relatable and normal he is. He plays PlayStation in his spare time and still finds it strange people want his picture in the street. But among the trivialities were hints at the difficulty Palmer has faced of late. Only last month, he hit out at social media "idiots and trolls" critical of his goal drought during the second half of the season.

Speaking in Philadelphia, he said: "Obviously, pressure sometimes gets to everyone. But most of the time, I try and ignore it. I still do the same things now that I did before I came to Chelsea. I try and think it's just a game of football at the end of the day, it's not life or death. So I just try and enjoy it. I like to go and play five-a-side and go to the astro [turf] and just do normal things [to take my mind off things]."

That much was evident in his body language during training out at the Club World Cup. The roots of Palmer's relationship with winger Noni Madueke date back to England's under-15s and their closeness was clear in the Philadelphia morning heat during one session last week. The pair walk out together, undertaking the first drills in which the squad were split into groups of threes. Nicolas Jackson was nearby and Palmer shouted "Nico" twice but got no answer. "Jackson!" he shouted louder and the striker responded with a smile; Palmer then almost constantly whispering in Madueke's ear, both sharing grins and laughs.

When Chelsea are at their best, the link-up between Jackson, Palmer and Madueke is at the forefront. Replicating that, or ideally improving on it, is among striker Liam Delap's biggest challenges following his £30 million arrival from Ipswich Town, though he knows Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and Palmer well, having worked with them in the Manchester City academy.

"I've known him [Palmer] since I was 15, playing at City with him," said Delap. "I've got a good relationship with him so it was nice to see a familiar face. I think Cole has always been that good and everyone at City will tell you that. I think the rate he's done it at [Chelsea] is incredible. But I think ultimately it was always going to happen.

"Do I see the chance to emulate him? Yeah, of course, that's the goal. I think we both had similar positions and he's gone and smashed it [played well], so hopefully I can also."

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Maresca: We knew Flamengo were a good team

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca reacts to Chelsea's surprising 3-1 loss to Flamengo in the Club World Cup.

Maresca's gameplan against Flamengo did not seem to play to Palmer's strengths. Pushed out to the right, away from his preferred No. 10 position (the shirt number he now wears) Palmer struggled to impact play and did not link up with Malo Gusto, who was given greater licence to roam from right-back.

In fact, Palmer barely connected with anyone. He had just 32 touches and, in a considerable departure from his hitherto untouchable status, he was substituted on 82 minutes when Chelsea were a goal and a man down thanks for Jackson's red card.

Afterwards, Maresca deflected a question about Palmer's subdued performance by answering in reference to the collective, insisting the tactical experiment -- which also included defender Reece James playing midfield -- would benefit the Blues in the long run. Of course, that is possible but there was scant evidence Palmer benefitted from the change.

The suspicion remains that he is better drifting into that space rather than occupying it to begin with. The numbers mostly back this up, although the split isn't as stark as the naked eye would suggest. During the 2023-24 campaign under former coach Mauricio Pochettino, Palmer started 12 league matches in the No. 10 role and registered 10 goals, five assists and 32 chances created, with 27 key passes. In the 13 games he played on the right that season, he managed 11 goals, three assists, 29 chances created, and 26 key passes.

Palmer's effectiveness in moving into the wide-right space was seen to positive effect in their opening game of Group D at the Club World Cup, a 2-0 win over LAFC in Atlanta. He linked up twice with Delap, who came on as a substitute for his Chelsea debut, although it is Palmer's luck at the moment that his contribution to the game will probably be remembered most for the second-half shot he blazed over the bar when well placed to score.

It is possible that Delap's arrival could even rekindle Palmer's form. They were a key part of City's Elite Development Squad which won the Premier League 2 title in 2020-21 with Delap scoring 24 goals in 20 goals.

"The team we had was crazy," said Delap. "You look at it now and everyone has gone on to progress differently but they are all doing really well."

Perhaps the heat is another factor. "We are getting used to it," said Palmer. "I like it, something new, it is hotter than England, so it is alright."

He could be forgiven for feeling the pace, however, even at his tender age. Maresca managed his minutes by omitting Palmer from Chelsea's squad for the Conference League group stage, but Tuesday's game against Esperance de Tunis will still be his 52nd game for club and country since the start of the 2024-25 season. And it will be a real test: the hottest temperature of the year -- 102 degrees Farenheit -- is forecast, albeit with a 9 p.m. local kick-off time mitigating the worst of the exposure.

But it is also the third-consecutive summer Palmer has played in a tournament. Last season, he scored in the Euro 2024 final as England lost to Spain; a year earlier, his deflected free kick won the European Under-21 Championship final against Spain.

Playing in a third final in three years at this Club World Cup feels a long way off right now. But if Chelsea are to have any chance of getting there, Palmer's revival will still have to be the catalyst.