“Sources say…” – The truth about Cole Palmer’s injury and fitness explained by top journalist | OneFootball

Chelsea got the job done against Brentford yesterday in a 2-0 win, but it wasn’t pretty. And there are major concerns about Cole Palmer.

The attacker is struggling to find his best level after a while out injured, to the extent that Simon Johnson’s piece from the game was all about him.

Palmer’s lack of fitness affecting form and confidence

Cole Palmer looks frustrated. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

According to Johnson, it’s not a physical issue limiting Palmer, who missed 2 months of the season trying to shake off a groin injury, and hasn’t looked sharp since.

“Sources speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships say, medically, Palmer is 100 per cent fine, but is still working on his match fitness after such a significant spell out.”

That’s good to hear, and new manager Liam Rosenior was at pains to point out that his star man had barely trained this week, meaning completing just his 4th full game of the season was a real achievement.

But as Johnson notes, he’s just missing that crucial 10% that makes him special. “The usual sharpness to get away from players is not there.”

He’s a “long way from his best,” and that’s affecting his confidence and decision making. Johnson noted the muted celebration to scoring his penalty, and the way he was “sitting disconsolately on the turf” at full time, despite his team having won.

It now becomes a tricky balance between managing his minutes and getting him up to speed.

In other news…

These reasons probably explain why Palmer played the full 90 last night. Rather than trying to nurse this injury, the idea is now to get him to full match sharpness by stacking some minutes.

Palmer’s lack of form is making Chelsea pretty hard to watch in an attacking sense, and the Blues’ captain Reece James admitted that yesterday’s game was all about getting 3 points in the end.