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Cole Palmer led Chelsea out for the first time with the captain’s armband on Saturday evening and he sent a hilarious message to Roy Keane after an incident in the tunnel.
With Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella all absent from the starting line-up, Liam Rosenior decided to make Palmer his captain for the day. It was Palmer’s first game as captain.
The Blues would go on to win heavily, dispatching Port Vale 7-0. Palmer will argue the own goal was his, but Jorrel Hato, Joao Pedro, Andrey Santos, Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho and Tosin Adarabioyo all scored.
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The perfect remedy for Rosenior, who has had to endure plenty of criticism surrounding his future as boss, and then his handling of the Fernandez saga. Even before the game, things were not going to plan.
Cole Palmer sends brilliant message to Roy Keane on Instagram
League One side Port Vale were late to the tunnel walk and Palmer, on his debut as Chelsea captain, was unsure what to do. The England star joked he almost embodied Roy Keane, refusing to wait.
Back in 2004, Paul Ince delayed his Wolves side joining Man United in the tunnel at Molineux, and instead of remaining patient, Keane ordered his troops out on the pitch against ref Andy D’Urso’s wishes.
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TNT posted a clip of Palmer at the front of the Chelsea queue, waiting to go out onto the pitch, and the England star even asking the officials, “Do we just go out?”. Eventually, Port Vale’s players joined Chelsea.
Reacting to the clip on Instagram, Palmer joked he was very “close” to taking the Chelsea players out onto the pitch, before tagging Manchester United icon Keane in his post on Instagram, after the 7-0 win.
What Liam Rosenior said about Cole Palmer’s captaincy
While Palmer might not be the aggressive, shouting at teammates kind of captain that is often the stereotype for those wearing the armband, Palmer is certainly one who leads by example with the ball.
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That is the reasoning behind Rosenior giving Palmer the armband on Saturday. After the demolition of Vale, Rosenior said: “I think it’s a natural step for Cole where he is in his career. He shows leadership.
“You have different types of leadership. You have players who talk, who organise. What Cole does and where he leads is he’s so brave, and he’ll take the ball on the pitch,” Rosenior said about choosing Palmer.
“And if he makes a mistake, he’ll take the ball and be positive again. That reflects what I want in this team. I felt Cole led the team magnificently in the game today,” the Chelsea manager continued, after the win.
It will come as little surprise that further down the line, Palmer is given the captaincy more often by the current Chelsea boss. While others throw their future into doubt, Palmer could be a new leader.
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