Cole Palmer Receives clear Warning after Burnley brace
Cole Palmer has been warned Premier League opponents will ‘clip his wings’ if he doesn’t tone down his confidence levels.
Palmer, who joined Chelsea for an initial £40million plus a further £2.5m in potential add-ons from Manchester City, has quickly become a key player in Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The 21-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists this season, adding to this tally by netting twice in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer opened the scoring with an audiocus Panenka from 12 yards and added a second strike later on, but Burnley managed to equalise and secure a point. The former City star has a flawless record from the penalty spot for Chelsea, scoring all six of his attempts.
But BBC pundit Garth Crooks was far from impressed with the forward’s nonchalant approach on this occasion and wrote in his weekly column: “The way Palmer dispatched his penalty showed he has supreme confidence in his own ability. But his dinked finish was bordering on ‘taking the Michael’ and players have a way of dealing with that. If he’s not careful he may have his wings clipped.”
Pochettino was less concerned with Palmer’s chosen method, but decided against making him the established penalty taker. Raheem Sterling had missed a spot-kick in last month’s FA Cup win against Leicester City, leading to Pochettino remarking: “If he decides to give the ball to another player, I cannot go onto the pitch to say no or I’ll get a red card.
“He is a specialist, shooting really well, but it is a decision on the pitch depending on the circumstances. It is about who is on the pitch. I could say 1, 2, 3, like in Paris [Saint-Germain] with Neymar, [Lionel] Messi and Sergio Ramos. But after between them they can say, no you, me, or them.”
Pochettino also recognised that among a team packed with players not reaching their potential, Palmer is his standout performer. “It’s so obvious, he scored twice, and yes, of course, he is a good example for the rest,” acknowledged the Argentine. “From day one, he took responsibility in penalties and in the game.
“You can see that when the team is struggling, they give the ball to him. It’s very positive for the team and him to play games that he didn’t play at Manchester City. It’s obvious that we are happy with him. But as a collective, he can not be happy. He is, of course, disappointed.”
