Cole Palmer unfazed by goal drought, says Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
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Chelsea's attacking midfielder Cole Palmer has failed to score in his last eight games in all competitions.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Cole Palmer’s dry spell in front of goal has not had an adverse effect on the Chelsea attacking midfielder’s mood, manager Enzo Maresca said ahead of their English Premier League home clash with Leicester City on March 9.
The England international, who netted 27 goals and bagged 15 assists in a breakout campaign last season, has failed to score in his last eight games in all competitions and has missed a number of promising chances in recent matches.
“When you score a goal, you are more happy because your goals help the team to win. But overall Cole is fine. He’s happy. He knows he’s struggled to score goals in this moment, but that it’s something normal that can happen during the season. Watching him during the training session you don’t think it’s affecting him, he’s fantastic,” Maresca insisted.
The Chelsea boss also provided injury updates on defender Wesley Fofana, midfielder Romeo Lavia and striker Nicolas Jackson, with the trio soon to return to action.
The Blues, fifth in the standings with 46 points from 27 games, will fancy their chances of claiming a home win over 19th-placed Leicester, who have lost their last four league games.
Maresca, who left Leicester before the beginning of the season, said he sympathised with the relegation-threatened Foxes as well as their beleaguered manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – a former teammate of Maresca’s at Malaga.
“I really support Ruud. First of all because he’s a friend of mine and then because he’s there,” he added. “He’s trying to do his best. We know it’s difficult. But in this moment, I’m focused on us. I’m just thinking about how we can improve.”
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said that defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven may finally return to face Bournemouth at home on March 9, after weeks on the sidelines with thigh injuries.
The duo travelled for the midweek Europa League last-16, first-leg match at AZ Alkmaar, but Postecoglou said he decided not to field them during the 1-0 loss due to the poor quality of the pitch at the Dutch club.
The Spurs boss was also hopeful Dominic Solanke would recover quickly after the England striker was forced off 20 minutes into his comeback from the knee injury he suffered in January.
Postecoglou added that Spurs’ injury woes have contributed to their inconsistent Premier League performances as they sit 13th heading into this weekend, after a seven-match winless streak in the competition between December and January before three straight wins in February.
“Inconsistency has come from not having a consistent line-up. We definitely need another game to get the squad where we need to get to. (The Europa League) disappointment – the best way is to put it right this weekend... I still want us to move up the table,” he said. REUTERS
