October 21st 2024.
According to former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit, there is still room for improvement for Chelsea player Cole Palmer to reach world-class status at both the club and international level. Despite his impressive performance last season and his continued success under new manager Enzo Maresca, Palmer's recent underwhelming performance against Liverpool has sparked criticism.
In the eight Premier League games this season, the 22-year-old has already scored six goals and provided five assists. However, during Sunday's game at Anfield, he seemed to struggle as the Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat. Although he had a good opportunity towards the end of the first half, he was mostly marked out of the game by Arne Slot's team, who went on to claim the top spot in the table.
Just last month, Palmer was named on the shortlist for the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or, but Petit believes that he still has a long way to go before being considered for such a prestigious award. "Palmer had a great season last year and started off poorly this season, but he responded well in September," Petit shared his thoughts with Genting Casino. "The media tends to make a lot of noise about young talented players. Palmer is undoubtedly a great player, but he still hasn't reached the level of a top international player."
Petit did, however, have high praise for Chelsea midfielder Mosises Caicedo, who has been thriving in the Chelsea shirt since a lackluster first season following his transfer from Brighton. "Caicedo was the best player on the pitch against Liverpool, and he was even wearing the captain's armband," the Frenchman said. "He showed great personality and mentality from the beginning till the end of the game."
He continued, "In a big game like this, you don't have the luxury of time to think, and I was very impressed with how he handled himself. He showed incredible composure on the ball, even with so many players around him. Overall, it was a fantastic game from him. I think he has been the best midfielder in the league this season. I don't even like calling him a holding midfielder because he is so much more than that. In my opinion, he is a modern midfielder and definitely one of the top players this season."
So, while Palmer may have struggled against Liverpool, Caicedo's impressive performance has earned him the praise of Petit. The former Arsenal player believes that Caicedo's energy, assist, and ball recovery skills make him stand out as one of the best players in the league this season. With his continued growth and improvement, Caicedo has the potential to become a top international player in the future.
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