Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo has defended teammate Cole Palmer amid criticism of his performances for the club.
Palmer, 23, has suffered a huge dip in form since the turn of the year, struggling to replicate his early season brilliance for the Blues.
The England international is yet to score at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup and was an unused substitute in the Blues convincing 3-0 win over Esperance in their final group game on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of the round of 16 clash against Benfica, Adarabioyo, who opened the scoring in Tuesday’s game, has backed the 23-year old to return back to his best.
He said; “I’ve known Cole since he was a young boy so even me seeing him on those big banners makes me very, very proud. I think people do forget that he’s still 22, 23 years of age and he’s one of the faces of this tournament.
Obviously his life has changed in the past two years. I banter him some time and tell him he’s a little superstar. But yeah, he handles it very well. He knows his focus is brilliant on football. He loves playing football and that’s Cole Palmer for you”, Tosin continued.
Palmer scored 15 goals and provided nine assists in the English Premier League last season, a slight drop-off from the 22 goals and 11 assists he registered in his first season at the London club.
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The England forward has also scored just once this year, a penalty in the 3-1 win over Liverpool in May, emphasizing his recent struggles in front of goal.
“You say he’s receiving a lot of scrutiny. I don’t think Cole really looks at that and us as teammates aren’t really looking at that. He performs at a very high level every time he steps on the pitch. So our job is not just to help Cole Palmer but every single player on the pitch perform as well as they”, the defender added.
Chelsea face Benfica in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup on Saturday, with the winner facing either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarterfinals.
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