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Eight games in four different competitions across just 29 days. Talk about a whirlwind start to a new role for Liam Rosenior at Chelsea. The new head coach at Stamford Bridge had to hit the ground running and in the main he has. He's won six of those first eight fixtures, with the two defeats coming to Arsenal in the first and second legs of the League Cup semi-final. As such, perhaps the former full-back hasn't had too much time to ponder some of the larger tactical questions he faces at Chelsea - one of which, undoubtedly, will be getting the best out of the club's recent star player, Cole Palmer. There's no doubt the England midfielder has been in a lull in terms of form and fitness. A toe injury meant he missed a three-month chunk of football between September and December, so his modest return of five goals for the season is perhaps no surprise. He also had a thigh issue that meant he missed two matches in January. In the Premier League, the former Manchester City graduate has struggled for a while. In his last 16 top-flight games of the 2024–25 season, he scored one goal – a penalty against Liverpool – while in his last 11 games of this one he has one goal from open play. The numbers show that the Blues have fared better from an attacking and defensive point of view when he's not been in the team this season. Palmer is a conundrum that Rosenior still looks to be figuring out. The midfielder has played four games under the new head coach, although intriguingly he's been left on the bench for arguably the two most difficult fixtures so far – away at Napoli and Arsenal. In Naples, Palmer showcased his brilliance off the bench with two assists, taking advantage of extra space when the game had slowed down. He was given half an hour to do the same against Arsenal on Tuesday, but found it tougher to make an impact against the meanest defence in the country. In the very early days of Rosenior's tenure, Palmer has pivoted more towards being a playmaker. His touches per 90 minutes of 63. 5 are up compared to his Chelsea average of 59. 7, with his touches in the box of 1. 8 way down on the 4. 7 he's averaged with the Blues so far. In his 255 minutes of football under Rosenior, Palmer has only touched the ball in the penalty area five times. A more withdrawn attacking role has not meant an uptick in creative numbers yet. Palmer's average chances created per 90 minutes are down from 2. 2 to 1. 4 since Rosenior took charge, while his average expected assists have dropped to 0. 04 from 0. 25. Palmer has also played primarily off the right so far under his new coach, with 53% of his minutes under Rosenior coming on that flank. Palmer set the bar so high in his first couple of years with the club, with 43 goals across his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge. Undoubtedly, there is still time for him to reach those heights again with the Blues and under Rosenior. But with a World Cup on the horizon and three competitions for Chelsea still to play for this season, he could do with finding some form again sooner rather than later. The player and his new coach were spotted in talks on the pitch after the final whistle as Arsenal celebrated on Tuesday. They clearly have plenty to discuss. "What we're doing not just with Cole, but all of the players, is doing the right tests, " said Rosenior. "We are making sure these players can play at the level they need to be. He's been magnificent, he wants to play every minute of every game, but he's also maturing as a human being and understands the bigger picture. "The lads played the Club World Cup and had no break. Then they have World Cups to go to. "I'm trying to get the best out of him and the rest of the team all of the time while taking into account the games coming up. 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