Chelsea -Manager Enzo Maresca has challenged Cole Palmer to take the initiative in more competitions after their winning start at the Club World Cup.
Palmer seemed critical of the approach to their victory in the final of the UEFA Conference League last month, and said he “got sick to get the ball and go backwards and sideways.”
At that time it was that he took control of the match against Real Betis in Wroclaw, creating two goals when the blues came from behind to win 4-1.
Palmer was again influential when Chelsea started their challenge on the Global Summer Tournament of FIFA with a 2-0 win over Lafc in Atlanta on Monday.
“I had a short conversation with Cole and I told him that I really liked the way he was today,” Maresca told reporters. “He took responsibility, showed the initiative about the ball.
“He tried to receive the ball, to go one-V-one against players, and this is the Cole we expect.
'After the final of the Conference League, he said he was bored when he received the ball, so he decided to do something else.
'The day after that interview I told him he could do it from the first minute and why did he wait so long? Why not do the same after a minute?
“Today he did that exactly, and we are happy when he does. I have often said that Cole is our best player, a top player, and hopefully he can continue to do the right things. '
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez got the side of Maresca to a victorious start in group D for a scarce crowd of 22.137 in the 71,000 capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Their next outing is on Friday against the Brazilian side Flamengo in Philadelphia.