Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has denied that his tactic is to blame for Cole Palmer’s drying magic in front of the goal.
The top scorer of the blues, which has 14 goals in all competitions this season, did not find the back of the network in its last 16 games – a run of January 14th and one that represents an enormous decline compared to 27 goals last season.
In the middle of the growing frustration towards Maresca, many fans have accused the boss of suppressing Palmer with a tactical setup that has not managed to get the best out of one of his forward players, but Maresca insists that there is something else behind Palmer’s drought.
“It is certainly mental,” said Maresca. “I don’t think it’s tactical, I don’t think [the first] 20 games.
“Cole is the same. The football style we play is the same. The manager is the same. The club is the same.
“You can see that he is a little worried because he wants to help the team.”
Maresca continued to argue that those who criticize his setup forgot the success in the first half of the season when Chelsea was considered outside the competitor for the Premier League title.
“We always try to set up our game to bring our best player in the condition to be dangerous,” continued Maresca. “We have done it since we started. We do every game. It is the same for Cole.
“If you go back the game for game, he had at least every game, one or two chances. So it’s not about how the team plays.
“If you want to see it as the team that plays a different way, you saw it that way, but reality is not that. The reality is that Cole is the same, the playing style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same.
“It is only football that he lacks the goal at that moment. No more than that.”