Cole Palmer: position and style of play

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Chelsea signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City as part of Mauricio Pochettino’s overhaul at Stamford Bridge, but it could be a move as beneficial for the England team. Pochettino has a track record of nurturing young English talent, with a long list of England debutants who have played for the Argentine coach. Palmer’s name has now been added to that list, having made his England bow against Malta after impressing for his new club side.

Palmer, of course, was made in Manchester. He joined City at Under-8 level, going on to play a part in the club’s 2023 treble. At 21, however, he craved more regular first-team football. In three seasons with City’s senior side, he made three Premier League starts under Pep Guardiola. In his first three months at Chelsea, he more than doubled that statistic.

Palmer – who scored for City in the season-opening Community Shield – quickly came back to haunt his old club, scoring an added-time equaliser against the champions in a 4-4 Premier League thriller. Here, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed his style of play and positions…

Technical analysis

Palmer is a left-footed attacking player, able to play wide as part of a front three, or in a central number 10 position. He possesses a notable ability to break the opposing back line with a pass, especially with deft through balls that bend inwards.

At Chelsea, he has showcased his ability to create chances for runners on the opposite side, breaking an opposing block. He is particularly effective from an inside right channel position, where he can bend balls inwards on his stronger left side. This is ideal for a runner from the inside left channel (below).

Palmer’s through balls on the ground are also impressive. He can often catch central defenders out by playing them first time, when he looks to exploit space between centre-backs, or between the full-back and centre-back. In order to play these one-touch passes, his awareness off the ball while his team is in possession – assessing spaces, teammates’ movements and opposition structure – is very good.

Dribbling

When receiving wide, Palmer will look to commit his defender through dribbles. He tends to force them back, rather than progressing beyond them, in a way similar to Jack Grealish. As soon as his opponent engages, he will look to shift the ball to his left foot to cross or shoot, working inwards.

If his marker is closer and presses from in to out, Palmer can sometimes lose possession as he receives the ball. The ability to shield the ball is particularly useful for a winger, especially when receiving along the touchline with straight passes. This is an area in which Palmer can still develop.

When he dribbles centrally, his chops and changes of direction are much more purposeful, and help him consistently beat opponents. In underloaded situations, or particularly tight areas, Palmer has demonstrated his 1v1 qualities (below).

Palmer’s goal threat is improving as he is exposed to more first-team football and elite-level defenders. The majority of his shooting opportunities in open play have come from a rapid shift-and-shoot technique. Quickly moving the ball across his body and that of his direct opponent, he wraps the ball towards the opposite corner.

There is room for improvement on his reversed finishes, going near post as opposed to always going across goal. Utilising extra, disguised touches could help him shoot at the near post and work additional shooting opportunities in general. When his opponent has covered the initial movement inside, Palmer needs to work more shots to become a strong goal threat. At the time of writing, that threat had largely been limited to his penalty-taking.

Out of possession

Palmer can press with intelligence and duel with aggression. Although he isn’t one to regularly regain the ball, he supports a high press with intensity – something Pochettino will likely want to deploy with Chelsea in the long term.

Palmer presses well when forcing the ball towards the touchline, stopping play progressing past his inside shoulder. Starting slightly narrower might mean that the ball moves forward in the first instance, but his duelling can force the ball into defensive traffic. There, his teammates may win possession, especially when player-oriented with their marking (below).

Winger

Although Palmer has held the width as a right winger for Chelsea, in the early part of the 2023/24 season he mostly looked to move, receive and drive into the right inside channel. Although he doesn’t become the central 10, he will combine inside, provide through balls and supply dangerous clipped balls to runners from the other inside channel. His movement inside also creates space where he can release the ball for overlapping movements from his right-back teammate, either Reece James or Malo Gusto (below).

By moving into the inside channel, Palmer also helps overload central midfield, often creating a 4v3. His ability to receive on the half-turn and push forward away from markers allows him to connect with the front line, usually via through balls. On occasion, he has also shown his dribbling abilities from this inside channel position.

When holding the width and receiving, he waits until he is aggressively pressed before changing direction. He can knock the ball along the touchline and run beyond, but prefers to shift the ball back on to his left foot, often committing inwards just as his direct marker lunges for the ball. His timing in shifting the ball across is reminiscent of Riyad Mahrez, another left-footed right winger. From there, Palmer can drive diagonally across the pitch, switch the play, cross or combine inside from a slightly wider position.

Number 10

Palmer has also been used as the fixed, central number 10 in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 structure. In that role he can play through balls, albeit more on the ground, with fewer deft balls over. After 13 games of the 2023/24 Premier League season, he had delivered the ninth-most through balls (24).

Receiving between the lines also allows Palmer to showcase his changes of direction with the ball, to dribble and chop, both left and right. When moving inside, he is usually limited to progressing one way. As the number 10, he is able not only to work past more players with the ball, but also to change direction and create more opportunities to penetrate the opposing back line.

As the 10, Palmer has also shown his ability to connect with the front line, even in the tightest of spaces (below). His vision within traffic, from where he can provide accurate, delicate forward balls, helps create chances.

As he matures and gains more first-team experience, Palmer can work more shooting opportunities from the spaces where he has sought out teammates in the front line. The majority of goalscoring number 10s and wide players are attackers who top the rankings for frequency of shooting. Taking more shots, without necessarily adapting his movements or positioning, could help Palmer take his game to the next level.

To learn more about the technical and tactical aspects of football, and gain insights from coaches at the top of the game, visit CV Academy

Author: The Coaches' Voice