Why Alan Pardew is so unhappy with Thomas Tuchel’s comments on Cole Palmer
Chelsea star Cole Palmer has once again been forced to withdraw from the England squad, which did not go down too well with Thomas Tuchel.
After missing the World Cup, Palmer was recalled to the England set-up following a bright start to the Premier League season. However, he has since withdrawn because of an injury, but Tuchel has shown little sympathy.
The German called out the attacking midfielder for, in his eyes, missing too many England camps. Alan Pardew has defended him, though, and has claimed that Tuchel did not have to highlight that.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Premier League manager said: “I mean Palmer might be the one who loses out in all of this. Definitely Thomas, I thought, threw him under the bus a little bit.
“He said ‘he’s not in enough camps’, did he really need to underline that? Because everyone picked up on it. And it puts a lot of pressure on the boy, which I don’t even think was necessary, but that’s another story.”
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Palmer probably does deserve the benefit of the doubt here. He has played a lot of football since joining Chelsea from Manchester City three years ago, had an ongoing groin issue last season and little reason to reserve himself for his club.
It is not as if Chelsea have been challenging for the title and Palmer has been saving himself for that. They finished 10th last season and are in the same position again.
Alan Shearer has also been speaking about Palmer and has not been as sympathetic as Pardew, questioning the 24-year-old’s withdrawal. With it being an extended international break, Palmer was set to be handed a few opportunities to impress Tuchel, but he will now have to wait until November.
If Palmer can maintain his current form, he should be called up for the next England squad, so long as Tuchel does not hold his latest withdrawal against him.
In seven appearances across all competitions, Palmer has scored four goals and provided two assists. In the Premier League, he has scored two goals and set up another two. In the Carabao Cup, the former City man has also netted twice. It is a shame he did not get a chance to reproduce his form on the international stage during this break.
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