It's little surprise that Chelsea's alarming downturn in form has coincided with their talisman looking a little off colour. Ever-consistent Cole Palmer has gone through a rare, long-overdue rough spell of late, exposing just how important he is to the Blues' prospects.
Chelsea and Palmer hit a new low last week, with the attacking midfielder ineffective as he was subdued by Brighton's vigilant defence for the second time in as many games, contributing in large part to a blunt 3-0 defeat on the south coast for Enzo Maresca's side that left them down in sixth place in the Premier League by the end of the weekend.
This alarming dip means they have now registered just three wins in 11 games, with one of those coming against League Two strugglers Morecambe in the FA Cup.
Compared to a number of his team-mates, Palmer can still hold his head up high having continued to come up clutch in a number of challenging situations, but there is no doubt that his level has dropped as Chelsea begin to flounder. He needs to rediscover his best form to get them out of a rut.
