COLE PALMER has been brutally warned about his defensive contribution following his performance against Luton Town.
The Chelsea star impressed against the Hatters as he netted a brace in the 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road.
Palmer, 21, has been a bright spark for the Blues this season which has seen them struggle to get into the top half of the Premier League.
The attacking midfielder has scored eight goals and bagged four assists in his 16 league appearances.
However, at the end of the match against Luton, Palmer’s team-mate Thiago Silva appeared to be annoyed that they almost threw away the win.
Former Tottenham and Manchester United ace Garth Crooks has suggested that if Palmer does not start helping at the back then his team-mates could turn on him.
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He wrote in his BBC column: “Chelsea recovered from a poor performance against Wolves with a win over Crystal Palace and then went to Kenilworth Road a few days later to beat a stubborn Luton Town side.
“That said, Chelsea made very hard work of this victory having been 3-0 up against the Hatters before conceding two goals late in the game with some amateur defending.
“The disapproving shaking of the head by Thiago Silva at the end of the match said it all.
“The only bright spark for the visitors was Palmer, whose two goals were taken quite brilliantly.
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“But the English midfielder needs to watch himself.
“Ducking out of headers on defensive set plays doesn’t endear yourself to your team-mates, neither does suddenly losing touch with the game having scored two goals when really he should have been searching for his hat-trick.”
Palmer’s performances this season have even seen him receive an England call-up from Gareth Southgate.
The former Manchester City prospect made his debut for the Three Lions in the 2-0 win over Malta.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has also backed Palmer for his performances and compared him to World Cup winner Angel Di Maria.
He told TNT Sports: “In the position that he [Palmer] plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria.
“Angel is a world champion [with Argentina], he was in Paris with us, and is an amazing player.
“He [Palmer] has the capacity and the potential to be close to him, with time. He’s still far away, but this type of player that can link, can be a playmaker, have the capacity to score, assist, it’s this type of player like Angel.
“Always you expect when you sign a player, you expect that they perform in the best way. But of course, he’s performing really well from Day one, he’s adapted very well to the club, to the teammates, to Chelsea life, and yes it’s amazing, because always you expect the player can perform well, but he’s doing excellent.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
