The Blues' FIFA Club World Cup exploits have set them up for future success, with their No.10 the main man in the BlueCo project
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
"Everyone has talked a lot of sh*t about us all season," a carefree Cole Palmer so characteristically proclaimed after Chelsea were crowned champions of the world on Sunday. "But I feel like we're going in the right direction." The Blues didn't just beat Paris Saint-Germain, the consensus best team in the world, but absolutely smashed them in the first final of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, running out 3-0 victors at MetLife Stadium.
Chelsea weren't given much of a fighting chance heading into the showdown in New Jersey. Their run throughout the tournament, compared to the gauntlet that PSG faced, was derided as one more reminiscent of their Conference League campaign. When Levi Colwill and captain Reece James expressed their confidence pre-match, there were claims of 'delusion' thrown their way.
Yet here we are in a reality where Chelsea are basking in the golden glow of world domination, again. The club is in a very different position to the last time they won the Club World Cup in 2022, but are still winners all the same. The critical noises surrounding BlueCo have quietened, and that's largely down to their project's star man.
Palmer scored two of Chelsea's three goals and assisted the other for Joao Pedro inside 43 first-half minutes. He was the tactical wrinkle that not even the great Luis Enrique could iron out, his fingerprints all over the game as PSG were tossed to-and-fro by the west Londoners. Now that he has silverware in his cabinet and enough credit in the bank, we can start talking about Palmer in grander terms.
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesPoint to prove
The Conference League and Club World Cup aren't actually the first trophies of Palmer's career, but he arrived at Chelsea as if they were. He broke into the Manchester City team during the 2021-22 season and spent two campaigns skirting around the fringes of Pep Guardiola's squad, earning himself four gold medals in that time.
Heading into 2023-24, Palmer made it clear that he wanted immediate first-team football at the highest level, be that at City or elsewhere. Neither party wanted to entertain a loan and sought for a permanent solution, which ended with Chelsea snapping him up for little over £40 million ($53m) shortly before the summer window closed. Much to the Blues' benefit, he was motivated to leave his own legacy as a main man rather than in a supporting role.
"I always say, I don't feel like a Champions League winner, if I'm being honest," Palmer said earlier this year. "It doesn't really mean anything to me. People say it, but I weren't involved. Obviously I played in the group stage and stuff like that, but it's not the same, is it? I've not threw the medal away! I've still got it, but it's not like I feel like I've won it."
Palmer didn't score in any of his 19 Premier League appearances for City prior to his exit, yet already has 37 across two seasons for Chelsea. On this current trajectory, he will enter the 100 Club at the age of 27.
AdvertisementAFPThrives in finals
In two of his last games for City, Palmer showed what he could do in a more enhanced role. During their eventual Community Shield defeat on penalties to Arsenal, Palmer gave his side the lead with a wonderful curled effort which would later become somewhat of a trademark, while his cushioned header after sneaking in at the back post brought Guardiola's men level en route to UEFA Super Cup glory against Sevilla.
This is a trend that has continued into finals with higher stakes. Palmer came off the bench to fire in an equaliser, albeit in vain, for England in their Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, before being named Player of the Match in both the Conference League and Club World Cup finals for Chelsea this summer. It's a record that is starting to look a little reminiscent of Blues legend Didier Drogba, who won eight of his ten finals for Chelsea, scoring nine goals. The Ivorian didn't even play a competitive final in his career until he was 26.
"I like finals, it happened again." Palmer said on Sunday. "The gaffer put a great game plan out. He knew where the spaces were going to be. He freed me up as much as possible, and I just had to repay him by scoring some goals."
Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowGetty Images SportDying breed
Palmer's admittance that Enzo Maresca wanted to 'free' him up and exploit PSG was notable in an age where player roles are more defined and structured than ever. The Italian himself came in for criticism for a supposed rigidness in Chelsea's setup when their backs were against the wall in 2024-25, and he suggested pre-Club World Cup final with a quick-witted quip that he wanted his players to dominate possession as per usual. That turned out to be a smokescreen, with the Blues seeing only 34% of the ball, but their swarming energy and tactical tweaks made it feel like they had much more than that.
Maresca didn't quite see Palmer's role as completely without restriction, rather that the new owner of Chelsea's fitting No.10 shirt had licence to kill. "They have three midfielders and two of them were in charge of Reece [James] and Moi [Caicedo]. Vitinha was in charge of Enzo [Fernandez]," the head coach explained post-victory. "We thought it was a good chance to exploit the space with Cole and Malo [Gusto]. It was the game plan. We try to help the players be in positions where they can give everything. It's been the effort from all the team, all the players. I'm very happy for them. They deserve this moment."
Nevertheless, the outcome of these specific instructions made Palmer look all the more like a probing, menacing attacking midfielder of a forgotten ilk. He boasts no standout physical qualities and can appear quite languid in his movement at times given his lanky frame, but still finds a way to thrive in transition. One of the more minor feats Palmer accomplished was making Nuno Mendes, a left-back with Ballon d'Or shouts even a few days ago, seem as if he had never played the sport before.
Palmer led the final in progressive carries (four) and involvements in attacking sequences (seven), opening the game up by darting inside from the right and often beginning forays into the PSG half from deep. He was conjuring the sort of on-ball magic Chelsea were used to in the pre-BlueCo days in a project more resembling Real Madrid's 'Galacticos'.
Getty Images SportOvercoming a cold streak
It would be very easy to sit here and overlook Palmer's flaws and weaknesses while he's on top of the world. After ending the season with 18 goals and 14 assists to help win two trophies, you'd think it was a campaign with little adversity, but that doesn't tell the whole tale.
In fact, Palmer had reached 14 goals alone by January 14 before going 18 Premier League matches without finding the net. Even then, that mid-winter strike against Bournemouth was the last from open play, with his settler against champions Liverpool on May 4 coming from the penalty spot.
Teams resisted the urge to press Chelsea high during the second half of the season, knowing full well they would carve them up with space to gallop into. It limited opportunities not only for Palmer, but also his various attacking team-mates. After breaking his duck, he got it all off his chest: "Sh*t happens…sorry for my language. Obviously it happens, I went three months without scoring, but it just gives me more fight and motivation to do more for myself and for the team.
"Social media nowadays is full of idiots. I don't pay any attention to that. I've scored today and I'm happy, but it's only one and I've got to keep improving and try and reach new levels. Getting chances and not scoring, it feels like you're letting your team down. I feel like I am mentally strong anyway. I feel pride in helping the team and if I'm not doing that, I'm not happy."
Palmer went into the Club World Cup off the back of Conference League glory and completing Chelsea's mission of securing Champions League qualification, though the goals weren't exactly free-flowing. Before Sunday's final, he scored once before in the tournament – a fine effort in a 2-1 victory against Palmeiras in the quarters. His performance to take home the trophy didn't exactly scream of a player low on confidence or out of form.
