Cole Palmer was Chelsea’s talisman in their 2-0 win over Sheffield United (MB Media/Getty)
Danny Murphy has hailed Cole Palmer as Chelsea’s ‘best player, bar none’.
The 21-year-old has made a swift impact at Chelsea following his £42.5 million move from Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
Palmer was influential once again in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday as he scored and set up Nicolas Jackson’s goal at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer started the first half against Sheffield United in the No.10 role for Chelsea but Mauricio Pochettino made a tactical change at the break which allowed the midfielder more freedom.
When asked about Pochettino’s decision to switch Palmer’s role, Murphy said on Match of the Day: ‘Brilliant little tweak, game management, game intelligence, whatever you want to call it.
‘First half, Palmer played as a No.10 in behind one striker, which was Jackson, he had Sterling and Mudryk wide, he found himself in good positions but Sheffield United were really, really disciplined in their defending.
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‘They condensed the middle of the pitch, obviously, when you know his talent is there and they made it really difficult to get the ball into him in dangerous areas.
‘Of course, Poch being a good manager, he sees they’re not getting the ball into him enough, he’s not influencing the game as much as he can. Jackson and Sterling go high up the pitch and that creates a space [for Palmer], when you’ve got two ahead of you rather than one it’s easier.
‘The more the game went on and it got stretched the more confident he became. Every good move and every goal Chelsea had he was involved in.
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‘You know what it is… it’s his total belief in himself when he’s on the ball, ‘I’ll make it happen, I’ll impact the game, I’ll be the one who dictates for us when we attack and when we slow it down’.
‘This belief he has in himself, I know he’s worked with Pep [Guardiola], obviously he’s got this wonderful talent but it’s about end product, he keeps producing in the final third.
‘Do you know what, I’ll go as far as to say it, he’s their best player now, bar none. Their best player, their best talent and their most productive.’
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‘Their best player, their best talent and their most productive.’
