Cole Palmer hit with Mohamed Salah reality check by own manager on eve of Liverpool clash

Chelsea’s goal sensation Cole Palmer has been advised by Maresca to take a leaf out of Mohamed Salah’s book if he wants to reach the same world-class status as the Liverpool forward.

Despite Palmer’s impressive individual goals and assists for 2024 potentially surpassing those of Salah, the England winger must consistently produce such numbers year after year to be considered in the same league as his lethal Reds counterpart.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stated: “You cannot just judge on one or two years. In Salah’s case you have to judge on the seven, eight years with Liverpool. He’s been one of the best players – one of the best Liverpool players – in that time.

“Cole is doing that for us in the last year and also now. Hopefully, he can do it for the next five, 10 years with us.”

Salah has often been a formidable opponent for Man City during Liverpool’s intense rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s team. Maresca, who briefly served as Guardiola’s assistant in 2022-23, witnessed this first-hand from the dugout.

However, when reminded of Salah’s exceptional record, the former Juventus midfielder, aged 44, insisted: “Salah was doing that not only against City – or Chelsea – but against all the teams. He’s fantastic against everyone.

“Liverpool use him in all the moments. From the keeper to Salah. From (Virgil) Van Dijk to Salah. From (Lucas) Mac Allister to Salah. He’s their main player.”

Maresca also confessed his admiration for Jurgen Klopp’s setup, revealing he spent one Christmas engrossed in watching ’38 times’ the Reds’ games. After retiring from playing in 2017, the Italian manager dedicated an entire festive season to studying Klopp’s high-intensity football at Anfield.

Maresca was particularly impressed by the work ethic of Liverpool’s forwards, including Mo Salah, who were instrumental in implementing Klopp’s aggressive pressing style. Ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who were leading the league before the weekend, Maresca shared: “It was Christmas, I still remember. I was watching different kinds of work to understand and see how the best teams think.

“It was four or five years ago. I’d finished playing and started as a manager. I watched 38 games of Liverpool in one week – to study and analyse how they were with their previous manager, in terms of the pressing and this kind of thing.

“So I really know Liverpool players because I watched them many, many, many times. That team, the first one, two, three years of Klopp, and the way they were pressing was especially good because of Salah, (Roberto) Firmino and (Sadio) Mane.

“Not only on the ball. It was off the ball, the way they were aggressive was something unbelievable. I really like Salah not only because he is good on the ball but because he’s fantastic off it.”