Maresca: Palmer's Goal Drought is a Mental Issue

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca attributes Cole Palmer's goal drought to mental issues, not technical or tactical problems. Get the latest updates.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca attributes Cole Palmer's 16-game goal drought to mental issues rather than technical or tactical problems. The 22-year-old England international had a standout debut season, scoring 27 goals and providing 15 assists in 48 matches. Maresca's comments suggest Palmer needs to overcome mental barriers to regain his scoring form.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer has struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just 14 goals in all competitions so far this season. However, manager Maresca remains confident that Palmer will break his drought.

Enzo Maresca believes Cole Palmer’s struggle for form is because of a drop in self-belief rather than due to Chelsea’s tactics.

Palmer has gone 16 games without scoring for the club, having started the campaign with 14 goals in 23 appearances. pic.twitter.com/ZLGGE0yWT6

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 25, 2025

“It's for sure it's a mental thing, it's not tactical or technical,” Maresca said. “Cole is still the player who scored 14 goals in 20 games. The style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same. Nothing has changed around Cole. It's just mentally in this moment.” Maresca's comments come ahead of Chelsea's Premier League match against Everton.

Maresca noted that Palmer's struggles are evident, saying, “You can see he's a little bit worried because he wants to help the team. You can see he's struggling a bit on that. But he showed how happy he was after Fulham.” Maresca remains confident that Palmer will break his goal drought.

“It's just a matter (of whether) we can win games,” Maresca added. “For sure he's going to score goals. If you go back game by game, he had at least every game one or two chances, so it's not about how the team is playing.” Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, chasing Champions League qualification and trailing fifth-placed Newcastle United by two points.