Manchester City mock Cole Palmer with a tweet after Chelsea lose to Liverpool.
England manager Gareth Southgate claims he selected Chelsea star Cole Palmer over club teammate Raheem Sterling due to needing cover for injured number 10s Jude Bellingham and James Maddison.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Southgate revealed he promoted Palmer from the U21s to provide a creative midfield option after injuries ruled out Bellingham and Maddison.
“We wanted somebody who could play as a 10, Cole’s playing wider for his club, but we hadn’t lost a winger.”
On the surface, Southgate’s logic seems sound. Losing two central playmakers created an opening for Palmer’s skill set.
However, his persistence in overlooking Sterling remains baffling, especially after the winger’s superb recent Chelsea displays.
Southgate noted Sterling was “excellent” in Chelsea’s draw with Manchester City. But he still favours untested players like Palmer in the senior squad.
With the Euro 2024 fast approaching, Southgate’s continued omission of in-form Premier League stars like Sterling is perplexing and troubling. Sterling has netted five times and bagged two assists for the Blues so far this season.
Rather than rewarding consistency and reliability, Southgate seems to bet on potential and versatility when selecting his squads.
Southgate’s endless tinkering and vague explanations have created unnecessary confusion regarding his best XI. His muddled logic for favouring Palmer hardly clarifies matters.
If injuries required a number 10, Mason Mount would have been the obvious solution given his defined England role( though Mount has been under-performing for United as of late). Shoehorning versatile Palmer into this scenario over pure wingers like Sterling seems a stretch.
At this point, Southgate deserves scepticism when justifying his perplexing squad choices and Sterling snubs. His rationale simply does not compute.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca eyeing defensive reinforcements in January Chelsea could well find themselves in the market to improve their…
Chelsea are willing to offload Carney Chukwuemeka in January amid interest from Ipswich Town Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has some…
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has sung the praises of his teammate, Cole Palmer, describing him as a player with extraordinary…
Ask any matchday Chelsea fan who the CPO are, and they’ll tell you that it stands for the Chelsea Pitch…
Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly planning to make a signing move for the Juventus Center forward in winter.
Cole Palmer is taking the headlines for the performances he has been putting in since moving to Chelsea in the…