Soccer
Mikel Obi. Copyright: Imago
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has revealed Liam Rosenior’s role in Cole Palmer’s recent dip in form at Chelsea, Soccernet.ng reports.
Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca as head coach in January, and while he enjoyed a promising start at the club, they have endured a difficult run of results in recent weeks, with performances on the pitch also raising questions about the team’s setup.
Palmer, who has been one of Chelsea’s standout performers since his arrival at the club in 2023, has struggled to maintain his output in front of goal and even though he has suffered from minor injury setbacks, his influence in games has noticeably dropped, particularly since the turn of the year.
The England international has also been linked with a potential move to Manchester United and has recorded just one goal contribution in his last 10 appearances across all competitions. During that same period, Chelsea have also suffered four straight Premier League defeats without scoring.
Soccer Mikel Obi blames Rosenior for Cole Palmer’s poor form
Super Eagles legend Mikel Obi, who spent over a decade at Chelsea, was very critical of Rosenior’s tactics and believes it is one of the factors affecting Palmer’s performances this year.
Speaking during an episode of the Obi One Podcast, he believes the situation around the team has contributed to Palmer’s struggles.
“Your best player having one assist the whole season is worrying. He’s had injuries but Cole Palmer doesn’t even know what happens in football. When I watch him play right now, he looks confused on the pitch, like he doesn’t know who he’s playing with, what is happening, what the system is, what the setup is”, Mikel Obi said.
Mikel also highlighted how different Palmer’s role feels compared to earlier in the season when Maresca was still in charge.
“There is no direction. With Enzo Maresca there was a direction. He knows where he needs to play, he knows he needs to play in the pocket between the right and the left, he needs to play in that pocket.
“Right now, he looks lost on the pitch. There is no sense of direction and that’s when I look at Liam Rosenior, there is no instruction from the touchline. I don’t see a manager that screams. With Enzo, he kept screaming and shouting and had a clear objective of how he wanted the team to play”, Mikel added.
Chelsea’s recent struggles have seen them lose four league games in a row without scoring for the first time in over 28 year and they will be hoping for a swift turnaround, beginning with their clash against Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
Read MoreAyomide Oguntimehin