Stephen Kelly Praises Cole Palmer and Chelsea’s Emerging Potential

Former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly has stated that Cole Palmer “personifies” the beautiful game and that Chelsea is beginning to demonstrate “they could be as good as anybody”. Palmer, a forward for the Blues, played a crucial role for Chelsea on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Spurs. His two penalties, one of which was a ‘Panenka’, brought his total goal involvements for the west London club to 50 in only 48 matches. This victory positions Chelsea in second place in the Premier League table, four points behind Liverpool and two points ahead of Arsenal. However, manager Enzo Maresca maintains that they are not yet title contenders. Kelly remarked on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, “When you hear the words ‘beautiful game’, Cole Palmer personifies that.” He added, “It is a perfect fitting for him the way he plays it, the way he strolls around the pitch. It is so lovely to watch.” Kelly further explained, “He [Enzo Maresca] does not want to hunk the pressure on the team. Even though they have spent a fortune over the past couple of years, Chelsea have been such a mess that you don’t want to commit to something.” He continued, “But the consistency levels are starting to go up and it’s not just Palmer’s performance, Maresca has found a group of players who are starting to perform regularly. He has found a system and he has found the players he wants.” Kelly concluded, “He was really harsh at the start of the season with the players he didn’t want but that is what he needed to be to cull the squad and get them to a level that, squad-wise, with the depth they have they could be as good as anybody and now they are starting to show that.”