Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino now has a real problem on his hands when it comes to fitting Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer into the same starting line-up.
That is according to former Blues player Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Despite Chelsea’s inconsistent results this campaign, they do still own a lot of talented individuals in their squad.
For certain, Cole Palmer has been the pick of the group with 21 direct goal contributions (12 goals, nine assists) in 28 appearances this season.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku’s only played eight games so far this campaign due to injury, but he’s been back fit in 2024.
So, can the two attackers fit into the same XI at Stamford Bridge?
Shaun Wright-Phillips has suggested that Palmer’s success could spell bad news for Blues teammate Nkunku.
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“I think him playing as well as he has actually caused Pochettino problems because he would play in that No 10 role and that was meant to be Nkunku’s position,” Wright-Phillips said on Man City’s YouTube channel.
“Because Cole is playing so well, Nkunku is not starting. If he does come on he tends to go as the leading striker. He doesn’t really stay there anyway.”
Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku combination
We’d say let’s reserve judgement on this theory until Nkunku’s been fit enough to start a run of games.
Our gut feeling is there’s no reason why Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino can’t get them to succeed in the same line-up.
We’ve seen Palmer be effective in a variety of attacking positions. The key is to get him into pockets of space to impact games with his creativity. He can play as a No 10 or a right-winger with a licence to roam very effectively.
As for Nkunku, he may only be plugging a gap as the central striker until next season. We’ve got confidence in him as a No 10 or inside forward coming off the left, where he’s fast, direct and a goal threat. Speaking via FIVE’s YouTube channel a month ago, Rio Ferdinand insisted Nkunku will come good at Chelsea.
