Chelsea need ‘Cold’ Palmer to fire up their battle for Champions League spot

The latest round of English Premier League action saw table-toppers Liverpool go 11 points clear after a crucial victory over Manchester City, while second-placed Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by West Ham United. Here are three talking points.

Slumbering Red Devils need a youthful jolt

Depending on who you listen to, either Manchester United showed spirit in coming back to rescue a 2-2 draw against Everton, or the Toffees took their foot off the pedal while leading 2-0 on Feb 22.

While the reason for the Red Devils’ recovery is up for debate, what was clear is that United have a habit of sleepwalking through the first 45 minutes. This was the 11th successive league match in which they failed to score in the first half from open play.

The last time Ruben Amorim’s men scored from open play in the opening 45 minutes in the league was during a 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest last December.

A frustrated Amorim observed that his players seem to be letting “time pass”. This passiveness is a key issue and, if his senior players are not competitive enough, then he needs to turn to the youngsters to inject the energy and exuberance that the squad lack.

A fundamental facet of Amorim’s successful tenure at former club Sporting Lisbon was his willingness to give opportunities to youth.

The Portuguese handed debuts to more than 20 players who were aged 23 or younger, including exciting wingback Geovany Quenda, current City midfielder Matheus Nunes and Tottenham Hotspur fullback Pedro Porro.

Rasmus Hojlund, who turned 22 in early February, and Joshua Zirkzee, 23, are young forwards who were signed by United before Amorim’s arrival and have been the go-to options, but there is a case to be made that they are taking their spots for granted.

Young Danish forward Chido Obi-Martin, 17, came on in the 70th minute against Everton and, while he was not directly involved in the two goals, his movements caused the Toffees concern.

It is these bright sparks that Amorim needs to ignite a fire in a team languishing in 15th place.

Chelsea need Palmer to be firing again

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in September 2023, Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Cole Palmer, 22, has emerged as one of the league’s best young players with an impressive tally of 39 goals and 21 assists in 74 matches.

His “shiver” goal celebration, where he rubs his arms as if he is feeling the cold weather, has even earned him the nickname “Cold Palmer” among fans.

But the reality is that even before the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa over the weekend, the Chelsea talisman’s form has gone cold. He last scored for the Blues on Jan 14 and his last assist was on Dec 1, a stark drop-off from the 14 goals and six assists he mustered earlier this term.

And his downturn in form has affected Chelsea’s results too.

Enzo Maresca’s side are on a run of just two wins in their last 10 league matches, as they slid to seventh in the standings.

If Chelsea were to arrest their slide, then they need to get the best out of Palmer again, especially with bottom-placed Southampton – who have conceded seven goals in their last two home games – visiting Stamford Bridge on Feb 26.

A confidence-boosting performance would come in handy for Palmer and the Blues in their bid to finish in the top four this season. Otherwise, the heat would be on.

A Red mist is clouding Arsenal’s title challenge

Arsenal lost further ground in the title race after going down 1-0 to 16th-placed West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Feb 22.

Already a goal down, things got tougher in the 73rd minute, when substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly brought down Mohammed Kudus near the halfway line as the West Ham winger was through on goal. The Arsenal defender was initially shown a yellow card before it was upgraded to a red on review.

Arsenal are top of the table as the team with the most red cards (five) in the league. West Ham, Southampton and Ipswich Town are joint-second with three each.

Despite the protestation of their fans about the decisions not going their way, the reality is that Mikel Arteta’s charges have an issue of indiscipline.

Lewis-Skelly’s red card was also Arsenal’s 20th in the league since Mikel Arteta was appointed in December 2019, which is five more than any other club in the top flight during that period.

It needs sorting out. Trying to win their first league title since 2004 is tough enough, but to do it from a position of being a man, or two, down will not help.