Why missing Cole Palmer against Fulham could actually help Chelsea | OneFootball

While Matt Law’s transfer specials are something we always enjoy on the London is Blue podcast, the match previews with CFC Central are also great, and this week we have his thoughts on Chelsea’s Saturday early kick off against Fulham.

The analyst picked one one key battle we’re already looking forward to seeing – Chelsea’s wingers against the Whites’ full back, particularly down our right hand side.

Chelsea’s right wing could be the key to breaking down Fulham

Estevao Willian takes on West Ham defenders. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“Fulham’s left back versus Estevao Willian or Pedro Neto is something that I would scratch into my pad as a key battle. Antonee Robinson hasn’t started a game yet, Calvin Bassey has struggled filling in for him there. Ryan Sessesgnon is more of an attacking profile, he will offer going forward than back,” Central concluded.

“So if you do put a rusty Robinson or one of two other guys who will probably struggle 1 v 1 then if you’ve got Estevao or a Neto on the right hand side then you expect them to be triumphant against that kind of profile.”

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer question leaves Fulham in suspense

It’s something we had already thought about in terms of Cole Palmer’s fitness. It’s not clear if the attacker will be ready for this game – we’d be tending towards him not featuring, if anything. So we’re likely to see a second consecutive Estevao start. That could be even more effective against Fulham’s dodgy left back selection than Palmer could be, given the Brazilian’s ridiculous 1 v 1 skills.

We were seriously frustrated on the opening day by an organised Crystal Palace team. Fulham will be looking to do the same thing, so identifying an area where we can hopefully break their shape is crucial.

Right now, Chelsea will know if Palmer is starting on Saturday while Fulham won’t, giving us the edge in terms of preparation.