Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca blamed a “mental thing” for Cole Palmer’s goal drought and insisted the England forward is happy at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer last scored on January 14 in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth having previously netted 14 times this season in the Premier League, including four in the first half against Brighton in September.
It is by far the longest fallow period of the 22-year-old’s Blues career and has coincided with a dip in Chelsea’s form that has seen them win only six of their last 17 in the league, slipping from second to sixth.
Maresca has previously said Champions League qualification is unlikely without the goals of Palmer and striker Nicolas Jackson, who himself has not scored since December 15, though Sunday’s dramatic late win against Fulham did briefly move them back into the top five.
Nottingham Forest’s victory over Tottenham on Monday shunted Chelsea down a place and leaves them needing a strong finish amidst tough fixtures, starting with Saturday’s game at home to Everton.
Last season’s meeting at Stamford Bridge saw Palmer plunder four goals in a 6-0 victory, though the visitors are a different proposition now under David Moyes and could pose a serious challenge to the ambitions of Maresca and his misfiring number 10.
“For sure it’s a mental thing, it’s not tactical or technical,” said the Italian.
“Cole is still the player who scored 14 goals in 20 games. The style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same. Nothing has changed around Cole. It’s just mentally in this moment.
“You can see he’s a little bit worried because he wants to help the team. You can see he’s struggling a bit on that. But he showed how happy he was after Fulham. It’s just a matter (whether) we can win games. For sure he’s going to score goals.
“If you go back game by game, he had at least every game one or two chances, so it’s not about how the team is playing.”
Chelsea have arguably the toughest run-in of the five teams gunning for what is likely to be three remaining Champions League spots.
After Everton they face home games against Manchester United and Liverpool as well as trips to Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Maresca will not be in the dugout on Saturday as he serves a one-match touchline ban.
He was shown his third yellow card of the season during celebrations following Pedro Neto’s winner in the third minute of stoppage time against Fulham, so assistant head coach Willy Caballero will direct things pitchside.
“They asked me if I need someone next to me,” said Maresca, who will watch the match from the stands.
“I don’t know if I’ll be alone or if I’ll be with someone. Tomorrow I’ll try to be in the way I always try to be. When the manager is not there it’s for the leadership group to step forward and take responsibility.”
