Pep Guardiola surprisingly started Cole Palmer in the Kevin De Bruyne role for Manchester City’s EFL Cup clash with Chelsea and will be happy with what he saw from the 20-year-old as City ran out 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.
Palmer has been given opportunities in a variety of roles this season, but this was a rare start in his preferred position, so he’ll have been desperate to put in a good performance.
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The 20-year-old had the joint-most tackles (3) and was joint-second in the City squad for shots on target (2), so he’ll be pleased with how he played. Palmer completed 88.9% of his 27 passes too, so he was good in possession and comfortable under pressure.
Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News gave him a player rating of 7/10 and called his performance ‘bright’ in the first half. SofaScore gave Palmer a player rating of 7.2/10. It’s unlikely that he’ll start against Brentford on Saturday, but the 20-year-old should be happy that he didn’t let his manager down when called upon.
Palmer has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season and is yet to score or make an assist, but he’s putting in promising showings that will give Guardiola hope for the future.
In other news, Rico Lewis has a ‘bright future’ despite poor performance
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