Can Chelsea start struggling Cole Palmer?

Cole Palmer was named the eighth best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in September, but data and eye testing suggest a decline in his form.

The 23-year-old is still viewed within Chelsea as ‘untouchable’. Former head coach Enzo Maresca described him as the club’s “best player” while his successor Liam Rosenior has held several meetings with his star striker since taking charge.

However, even with the PFA Young Player of the Year recognition, Palmer is not yet performing at his brilliant best – with several mitigating factors contributing to this downturn.

Firstly, as Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Mulango said, the England striker was likely suffering from fatigue.

“When I look at someone like Cole Palmer, it means three summers in a row without a break,” Molango said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.

“People say he’s a millionaire – yes, he is. But he doesn’t give you an extra lung or an extra leg. I want to see Cole Palmer on the field because he’s the guy who makes me dream.”

Three years without a summer break led to 112 appearances for club and country, plus Club World Cup appearances with Chelsea, a European Championship with England, and a European Under-21 Championship before that.

Those managing him did not consider it a coincidence that his fitness deteriorated as the demands on Palmer increased. The striker began suffering from a painful and recurring groin problem at the end of last season.

He had only partially recovered by December, returning after more than six weeks out, and Chelsea’s medical team continue to monitor him closely.

Asked by BBC Sport about Palmer’s performance after the 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal, Rosenior said: “He played 83 minutes. That was tactical.

“When I took him with Enzo [Fernandez] They both got yellow cards and I wanted our neighbor [Alejandro Garnacho] William [Delap] To come and give us freshness, which is what I felt they did. He’s perfectly fine to start the game [against Aston Villa] Wednesday.”

However, it may have come as a surprise to some that Palmer, usually the source of goals or creativity, was withdrawn as Chelsea chased an equaliser. But the statistics show that it was not an unjustified decision in the heat of the moment.