Rogers vs Palmer: Chelsea coach makes decision

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca backed Cole Palmer to return to his best form, refusing to entertain the suggestion that he would prefer to have Aston Villa’s high-flying Morgan Rogers.

The Blues face Unai Emery’s Villans on December 27th, tasked with ending the 10-game winning run of the Birmingham-based club. 

Aston Villa’s incredible run has been fuelled by Roger's impressive form, in which he amassed nine goal contributions in those 10 wins (six goals, three assists). 

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Palmer is the archetypal goalscoring number 10. However, injuries have affected his consistency this season, and he has managed two goals this season. Still, when presented with the possibility of picking either Palmer or the in-form Rogers, he backed his number 10.  

"No. Because I love Cole, and Cole is my player," Maresca answered the question. However, he insisted that the game will not be decided by the individual performance of both players. “They are two fantastic players. For sure, they are going to be important during the game. 

“But I think both players, they need the other 10 around them to support them and to help them to do the right things. For sure, it's about Morgan, it's about Cole, but it's also about the teams."

He also provided an update on Palmer's readiness to play a full game. "The progression for a player is 45 (minutes), 60, 70. The progression is there."