Former Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi has advised Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca to use Cole Palmer as a creative midfielder instead of using him as a winger, Soccernet.ng reports.
Chelsea kicked of their Premier League campaign with a fixture against champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Although it was evident that City were not at the peak of their powers, Chelsea struggled to put up a strong fight. They looked mostly disjointed in the final third, albeit they had a few good looks.
Palmer, who was Chelsea’s main outlet last season struggled to produce much from the wings in the first half. However, he started influencing the play a bit more in the second half.
Following Chelsea’s defeat, former Nigeria midfielder Mikel, who spent eleven years at the club has advised Maresca to use Palmer as a creative midfielder just like last season.
“Cole Palmer should not be on the wide right, he should not be frozen out on the wings, that’s not where he’s best at,” Mikel said on the Obi One podcast.
“His best position is number 10, he should be in the middle of the pitch. Sometimes, in the game against Manchester City last week, I looked at him, and he was kinda lost.”
“He needs to be where the action is, he needs to be in the middle where he touches the ball a lot. Players like that need to feel the ball, they need to constantly touch the ball because if they don’t, they get fizzled out of the game. So he needs to come back and play in his favorite number 10 position.”
Chelsea play their next Premier League game at Wolves, and it is likely that Maresca will play just as Mikel said.