Roy Keane’s criticism of Chelsea star Cole Palmer is simply untrue, he hasn’t done his homework
The trend right now seems to be: let’s all bash Cole Palmer for withdrawing from the England squad. Roy Keane is the latest to do so, but it’s quite clear that he hasn’t done his homework.
England were beaten 3-2 on Saturday night by World Cup winners Spain, despite goals from Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon. Kane missed a penalty, and Spain came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Wembley.
There was no Palmer. Having initially won a recall to the England side after missing out on the World Cup, Palmer was withdrawn. Roy Keane is the latest pundit to criticise Palmer for the decision not to play.
Quite clearly, Keane has no idea what Palmer has been through
During ITV Sport’s coverage, Keane blasted Palmer for having “bad habits” following the decision that saw Palmer withdraw. Joao Pedro also withdrew from Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad earlier this month.
“Whatever his injuries… I watched him against Brentford. If you think he’s going to get England to another level and win trophies, forget it. I like Palmer, he’s a talented boy, but he’s got far too many bad habits.”
Firstly, the blame is being put on Palmer for withdrawing when, quite clearly, it wasn’t his fault. Reports from those close to the Chelsea player indicate that Palmer was disappointed not to play for England.
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Yes, Palmer could have drawn a line in the sand, but he’s hardly going to cause an argument with Xabi Alonso so early in the Spaniard’s reign. Secondly, Palmer has been through hell and back with injury.
Last season, Alan Shearer described his situation as “horrible”. Palmer was fit enough to play, but he was not fit enough to provide the best version of himself. At one point, he said he couldn’t even shoot.
On a recent stream, Palmer said that he was playing on one leg last season. He needs to manage his game time, and playing four times for England in the space of two weeks is not what he needs right now.
Double Chelsea injury blow vindicates Palmer decision
Alonso has already had to deal with more than his fair share of injuries since becoming Chelsea boss. Going into the break, Alonso was without Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Marco Palestra and more.
Whether Palmer has a small injury remains to be seen. Ultimately, he should be fit for Bournemouth after the break and from Alonso’s point of view, that’s all that matters. Two more injuries have been reported.
On duty for their countries, Mike Penders missed Belgium’s clash against Italy, while Jamie Gittens was seen on crutches after England U21s beat Kazakhstan. More proof that Palmer was right to withdraw.
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