Cole Palmer's Chilly Streak: Chelsea's Biggest Worry as Star Freezes Up—Except at the Penalty Spot!

COLE PALMER’s form is cause for concern at Chelsea.

He got the nickname ‘Cold Palmer’ for his ability to play at the highest level almost effortlessly.

Cole Palmer is struggling for formCredit: Getty He’s still ice cold from the spot, at leastCredit: PA His form has dropped off heavily this year

Now it looks as though he gets brain freeze unless he’s stood over the ball from the penalty spot.

The Blues’ number 10 has proved himself as a supernatural talent since

But after lighting up the Premier League for two successive seasons, he’s been in the clutches of decline this campaign.

While fans will argue , the brutal truth is that he’s been pretty average while playing for a team of ‘s level, and penalties have made up the majority of his goals.

And even with his fine finishing from 12 yards, there is no masking the drop-off in his productivity.

couldn’t get the best out of Palmer in the same way that did, and one of

One change Rosenior can make is to tell Palmer to shoot more, particularly from range.

When you think of memorable Palmer moments, most of them are probably fine finishes from range.

, the last-gasp winner against , the nutmeg and slotted finish against .

He’s not had a standout moment this season, yet,

Shot statistics show that he took 63 shots from outside the box in the Premier League last season.

This season, he’s managed just 13.

They were of astonishing quality last season, as four of them found the back of the net, but crucially, often the ones that didn’t created opportunities for other players to capitalise on.

The other kind of goal synonymous with the 23-year-old is him latching onto a through ball and showing heart surgeon levels of composure and accuracy to slot home.

His goal at home to last season comes to mind,

Those seem to have dried up, too, as Palmer looks less composed when the pressure is on, evident in this game.

As he strode through on goal away from , you’d have bet your house on him scoring if it were still 2024.

His strike was into the palms of a relieved Martin Dubravka.

Palmer burst away from Walker, but his shot was straight at Martin DubravkaCredit: Getty

He had another opportunity in the second half, receiving the ball from the left-hand side in the box, fans were braced for a classic Palmer touch and finish.

It seemed as though he

Palmer’s playmaking is another key element of his game.

What made him such a threat is that he can hurt you with a pass as badly as he can hurt you with a shot at goal, as he showed in the and Conference League finals last season.

His assist for Joao Pedro in the 2-2 draw with , while a reminder of his quality, is the only one to his name in the League this season.

He bagged 11 league assists two seasons ago and 8 last season.

The only team to beat Rosenior’s Chelsea so far are , who they play next in the Premier League, before a tough trip away to high-flying .

If Palmer is going to step up and prove to that he needs to be on the plane to the World Cup this summer, he needs to do it now.