Cooling of red-hot Cole's form poses huge questions

CHELSEA finally got supporters off their seats at Stamford Bridge - and Cole Palmer was still nowhere to be seen.

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There cannot be many attackers in world football that can go 17 matches in all competitions without finding the net and still be considered a nailed-on starter.

On Friday, Enzo Maresca (below) was asked to address Palmer's recent struggles and his explanation was simple. He stated: "For sure it's a mental thing, it's not tactical or technical."

There can be no doubt Palmer is short of confidence, that is merely stating the obvious.

He looks a shadow of his former, clinical self and it was somewhat damning that Marc Cucurella (three) and Levi Colwill (two) both had more touches than Palmer (one) in the opposition box.

From a technical perspective, it remains incredibly difficult to scrutinise the 22-year-old's ability, it's very rare that he'll miscontrol the ball, scuff a shot or misplace a routine pass.