It has been a great start to Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea reign. The Blues have made positive strides under the Italian manager so far, and entered the weekend sitting 4th in the Premier League table. Maresca’s men have 13 points to their name already, having won four, drawn one and lost one.
Impressively, the Blues have scored a league-high 15 goals, an average of 2.5 goals per game. The seven goals they have conceded so far mean they have an impressive goal difference of eight.
There have certainly been some standout players who have contributed to this impressive start under Maresca. Unsurprisingly, one of those players is Cole Palmer.
Palmer’s stats in 2024/25
After a quite extraordinary debut year at Stamford Bridge from Palmer last season, he has continued his form into the new campaign. In all competitions last term, the Englishman scored 27 goals and grabbed 15 assists in 48 games.
The Manchester City academy graduate led the way for combined goals and assists in the English top flight last term. His 33 goal involvements beat former club teammate Erling Haaland and England teammate Ollie Watkins, who both had 32 to their name, as per Statmuse. Palmer capped the season by taking home the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
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His start to the new season has been extraordinary. The 22-year-old, who scored in the Euro 2024 final against Spain over the summer, already has six goals and four assists in six Premier League games. That included a remarkable four goals in one game against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Gameweek
Opponent
H/A
Score
Goals
Assists
1
Man City
H
0-2
0
0
2
Wolves
A
2-6
1
3
3
Crystal Palace
H
1-1
0
1
4
Bournemouth
A
0-1
0
0
5
West Ham
A
0-3
1
0
6
Brighton
H
4-2
4
0
The attacker’s start to the 2024/25 campaign has been nothing short of marvellous. Palmer is thriving once again and could become even better if Maresca unleashes Pedro Neto against Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.
Why Neto should start against Forest
Despite injury issues hampering his career so far, 24-year-old Portuguese winger Neto has shown flashes of sheer brilliance during his time in the Premier League. He cost the Blues £54m from Wolverhampton Wanderers over the summer and has made a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge.
The Portugal international was superb for the Old Gold in 2023/24, scoring two goals and grabbing nine assists in 20 games in the Premier League. His assist tally was the joint-fourth-best in the top flight last term, which is especially impressive given he played substantially fewer games than those around him.
Neto has started off strongly for the west London outfit. He has played nine games in all competitions so far, grabbing two goals and an assist, including a strike against Gent in the Conference League. That is even more impressive when you consider he has played just 440 minutes, equivalent to 4.8 games.
Given the winger’s creativity and fast start in front of goal for Chelsea, it certainly seems like he could strike up a deadly partnership with Palmer. The English attacker has a licence to drift around the pitch under Maresca, allowing him to float around and link up with attackers all over the pitch.
Neto is a very creative player, as his stats from last term show. The fact he is playing with one of the best attacking players in the league in Palmer could lead to a partnership that thrives if given time to evolve by Maresca.
They have played 270 minutes together across six games so far, but have yet to combine for a goal. However, that does not mean it won’t happen as they get more used to their respective ways of playing.
Neto, who was described as “electric” by football statistician Statman Dave, is one of the most potent creative threats in the Premier League, and with Palmer’s ability to score goals from almost anywhere on the pitch, it seems like it could be a match made in heaven if Maresca unleashes the pair together against Forest.