Chelsea drew another blank as they lost 1-0 to Manchester United on home turf. The result left Liam Rosenior’s side further behind in the race to qualify for the Champions League. In fact, it is much more likely that they will finish outside of the European spots altogether. Liverpool will have a chance to go seven points clear. On the other hand, teams like Brentford and Bournemouth are now level on points with the Blues, with several others breathing down their necks.
The Premier League table is very tight. Anything can happen. But realistically, based on current form, Chelsea could finish as low as 15th by the time this season comes to an end. They are certainly playing like a team of that calibre right now.
Reports in recent days have suggested that Chelsea are ready to stick with Rosenior, even if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. Unfortunately, it does not feel like the Englishman has earned that sort of backing with anything he has done as a manager. On the contrary, it feels like a case of BlueCo trying to give him every possible chance to succeed. Sacking him now would be admitting they made another bad mistake.
While BlueCo might be ready to show patience with Rosenior, some of their best players might not be ready to stick around for much longer if things continue in this manner. Cole Palmer might very well be one of them.
‘Everything changes’ – Palmer comment throws Chelsea future into doubt again
Palmer’s lack of form has been a concern to Chelsea fans. The Englishman had looked much sharper, even when he was playing through the groin issue earlier in the campaign. Right now, he just seems a step slower and a bit unsure about himself on the pitch. The Englishman is missing the instinctive sharpness that we are so used to seeing from him.
Some of Palmer’s comments leading up to the Manchester United game have thrown his future into fresh doubt. According to the Mirror, he told TNT Sports on Saturday before the game:
“Hopefully [I can achieve my ambitions at Chelsea]. I believe in the club, they spoke to us as players.
“Hopefully I, and we, can win a lot at Chelsea. If we’re not in the Champions League, everything changes. We need to finish in the Champions League.”
Was Palmer speaking about Chelsea’s situation or his own future?
There are a couple of ways to read into Palmer’s comments. First, is that he is talking about his own personal situation at Chelsea.
Second, it could read as Chelsea’s situation as a whole. Failing to qualify for the Champions League will mean that the club struggle financially and can’t make the signings that they want to. It would also make it less likely for players to choose Stamford Bridge over other options.
The bigger worry for Chelsea fans right now might be the form of Palmer rather than his future. The Englishman has looked a shadow of himself lately. One can only hope that it is only a temporary dip in form.
