Former Chelsea star urges Pedro Neto to do more on the pitch for the club
Cole Palmer was inarguably Chelsea’s best player last season, with 15 goals and 8 assists to his name in the Premier League.
However, his form in the second half of the campaign was nowhere near as strong as it was in the first half.
Former Blues star Mario Melchiot may have an explanation for the dip in form that Palmer experienced.
The Frenchman believes that Palmer is carrying too much of the team’s burden on his shoulders and has urged his teammates to step up to ease the pressure on him.
In particular, Melchiot would like to see more from Chelsea’s Portuguese star Pedro Neto.
Neto scored a superb opening goal in Chelsea’s opening Club World Cup fixture, and Melchiot has urged the young star to kick on and continue scoring for the club so as to make Palmer’s life easier.
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What Mario Melchiot had to say about Pedro Neto
Speaking on ESPN after Chelsea’s game versus LAFC, Melchiot said: “The football that they try to play and the creative side is all focused on him. And when everything is focused on one individual, sometimes when he loses rhythm, it becomes a problem then and I think this is what Chelsea had last season.”
“This season, I feel like I was also asking for the wingers to chip in and score goals. OK, Neto did it today, so you want to see more of that. The more you see the wingers contribute, including the striker, it will help Palmer as well with his creativity.”