Former Tottenham and Manchester United great Garth Crooks has lectured Chelsea star Cole Palmer about his defensive approach. Palmer scored twice as the Blues defeated Luton Town 3-2 on Saturday.
Since signing from Manchester City in the summer, the 21-year-old has been Mauricio Pochettino’s greatest player. Crooks nominated the forward to his team of the week, but warned that other Chelsea players might turn on him shortly.
“Chelsea recovered from a poor performance against Wolves with a win over Crystal Palace and then went to Kenilworth Road a few days later to beat a stubborn Luton Town side,” Crooks wrote in his column for the BBC.
“However, Chelsea made hard work of this victory, having led the Hatters 3-0 before conceding two goals late in the game due to some amateur defending.” Thiago Silva’s displeased shake of the head at the end of the game said it all.
“The only bright spot for the visitors was Palmer, who scored two goals brilliantly.” But the English midfielder must keep an eye on himself. Ducking out of headers on defensive set plays does not endear you to your teammates, nor does abruptly losing touch with the game after scoring two goals when he should have been chasing a hat-trick.”
Pochettino, on the other hand, was full of praise for his match-winner, comparing him to World Cup winner Angel Di Maria.
“In the position that he [Palmer] plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria,” Pochettino said in an interview with TNT Sports.
“With time, he [Palmer] has the capacity and potential to be close to him.” He’s still a long way away, but this type of player, like Angel, who can link, be a playmaker, score, and assist, is the type of player who can do it all.
“When you sign a player, you always want them to perform at their best. But, of course, he’s been playing extremely well since Day 1; he’s acclimated very well to the club, to his teammates, to Chelsea life, and yes, it’s great, because you always expect the player to perform well, but he’s doing fantastic.”
