Chelsea fans would have been delighted to see Cole Palmer finally earn some minutes for England at Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate has failed to use the Chelsea star in England’s opening two games of the European Championship, but he came off the bench against Slovenia on Tuesday....Read The Full Story Here ▶
Cole Palmer was brought on for Bukayo Saka in the 71st minute, with Manchester United’s rising star, Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon also getting a taste of tournament football for the first time in their careers.
When it comes to Chelsea’s goal machine, never mind him coming on as a sub, many feel he should be starting for his country.
That was highlighted by Roy Keane when he discussed the cameo performance of the 22-year-old and how ’something is going to happen’ every time he gets the ball.
Palmer was beating players as soon as he entered the pitch and he had a guilt edge chance to score when his shot from the edge of the box went straight at Jan Oblak.
Ange Postecoglou was also bigging up the man from Stamford Bridge and how he is always ‘looking to eliminate the opposition’.
The Tottenham boss added by saying that the ‘first thought’ of Palmer is forward-thinking and he showed that during his brief time on the pitch, as he told ITV Sport.
It’s crazy to think that it has taken Southgate three Euro 2024 games to give Palmer a sniff, especially given that he scored 27 goals during the recently concluded campaign.
England 0-0 Slovenia at Euro 2024
“The one I am always excited to watch is Palmer,” said Keane. “I think he certainly has that X-Factor. I know we were saying why he didn’t come on in the first or second game.
“But when he came on, every time he gets the ball, you think something is going to happen. There was certainly more flow to their game in the last 15-20 minutes. But still no end product – I do love Palmer and I think he is an amazing player – would you want to mark Palmer? You wouldn’t want to play against him because he is so unpredictable and he can beat a man, he can go left or right. A lot of brilliant players. They affect the game. When he came on, you knew he was going to affect the game. Every time he got it, and I am hard to impress, I am thinking ‘something is going to happen’.”
Postecoglou added: “Every time he has got the ball, he is looking to eliminate opposition. Whether that’s individual players or lines of the opposition. When you have a player like that, irrespective of how the opposition is set up in a defensive sense, he will always find that gap and find those spaces. His first thought is how can I eliminate one of the opposition or line of the opposition.”
Should Cole Palmer start for England in the round of 16
England crawled their way to the knockout stages and now it seems like the Netherlands could be their last-16 opponent.
One thing is for sure, the Three Lions have, once again, avoided being on the tougher side of the draw, so they won’t be facing the likes of Spain, Germany or Portugal any time soon.
But should Southgate be brave, drop someone like Saka, and start Palmer on the right?
The former Manchester City man is easy on the eye, nothing much fazes him and he seems to be desperate to show what he is all about.
Given how Southgate operates, he will probably keep Palmer on the bench for the next match, but you are hoping he is off the bench sooner than the 71st minute.
