Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has credited new manager Xabi Alonso with giving him tactical freedom after scoring in a 3-2 victory over Fulham.
The 24-year-old aimed a subtle dig at former Chelsea bosses Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior, and Calum McFarlane, claiming his goal came from a run he would not have been allowed to make under their management last season.
Palmer opened his goalscoring account for the campaign by darting diagonally across the width of the penalty area before finishing a move set up by teammate Joao Pedro.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Palmer explained how instructions from Alonso have encouraged him to move into non-traditional areas on the pitch.
"He just said I'd have more freedom to drift about the pitch," Palmer said. "Just like you saw with the goal I scored. Last season, I wouldn't have even made that run because it's not a 'safe zone'. But he's saying move across that zone, drop into play, come get on the ball, create and just do what you do."
Palmer delivered a dominant individual performance against Fulham, recording five shots, five successful dribbles, ten duels won, and nine touches in the opposition box. His statistics outstripped every rival in each department.
Chelsea are one of English football's major clubs, competing in the Premier League from their Stamford Bridge stadium in London. Xabi Alonso, a former World Cup winner with Spain who enjoyed a decorated playing career at Liverpool and Real Madrid, took over as head coach following the departures of Maresca, Rosenior, and McFarlane.
Tactical changes under Xabi Alonso
The attacker managed ten goals in the Premier League last campaign, a decline from his preceding totals of 22 and 15 goals. His playing time was limited after missing 11 matches due to injury.
The 24-year-old also revealed that he played through the pain barrier during the season in an effort to secure selection for England's World Cup squad.
Despite playing through injury, Palmer was one of the big-name omissions when England manager Thomas Tuchel announced his squad for the tournament.
"Before my groin injury, I'd never really been injured. Well, rarely," Palmer told Sky Sports. "So then I would just come back and play when I shouldn't have played. Obviously the World Cup was coming up, so I was in a bit of a dilemma thinking: 'If I don't play I'm not going to go. But if I play then, I can't play [properly].'"
Palmer described navigating the groin injury as a difficult situation while seeking multiple medical opinions. "It was just a bit of a sticky situation. I didn't really know how to deal with it, but it's one of those things. I was just seeing different people, getting different ideas of why I was injured and what it was," he said.
The Premier League is the top division of English football, comprising 20 teams competing across a 38-game domestic season. International fixtures and major tournaments like the World Cup add significant physical demands for top-flight players throughout the football calendar.
Recovery and physical fitness
Since returning to full fitness, Palmer has maintained a dedicated daily routine to prevent future physical setbacks. "Since I've come back I've been working every day to obviously stop it happening again," he explained. "I just want to stay injury free, and if I'm on the pitch then I know what I can do."
Palmer remains positive about his physical condition as he aims to build sharpness with continued playing time. "Physically I feel good, probably the best I've felt in ages, but I think I can get fitter with games and more minutes," he added.
The forward previously admitted that watching England's World Cup matches from afar had its challenges. Speaking on Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia, Palmer revealed that he fell asleep at half-time during England's overnight last-16 match against Mexico.
