Michael Owen has insisted Enzo Maresca is not playing one Chelsea star in his best position.
The Blues succumbed to a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, with Erling Haaland and former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic both scoring.
Questions, though, have been asked over Maresca's squad selection and the club's summer purchases, with many raising eyebrows over their prolific movements in the transfer market - with nine players having joined this summer already and more look set to follow.
For Owen it appears the Blues have an inflated squad and are 'shuffling players around' as Maresca attempts to find a formula that works for his side.
But the former Liverpool and Man United striker insisted that the Italian coach was played star man Cole Palmer out of position on Sunday against City, with the attacker starting the game on the right wing.
‘Chelsea have bought so many players that can play in that position, haven’t they?' Owen told Premier League Productions, speaking on Chelsea's options on either wing.
‘You’ve got players who aren’t even in the squad who can play in that position too like Raheem Sterling. I’m sure the manager watched how good he [Palmer] was last season and the position he played in and everything else.
‘And you would just think that when you’re picking a team, your best players play in their best positions and you fit around them. You’re not going to push your best players into unfamiliar positions.'
Palmer enjoyed an exceptional 2023-24 season under Pochettino starting in the No 10 role, ultimately earning himself a call up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024. He would again showcase his inate ability to find the back of the net from the middle of the park, scoring an equaliser in the final against Spain.
‘If I was the manager, he’d be first on the teamsheet in his favoured position and then I’d work around it but it seems like they’ve bought so many players that they’re trying to shuffle the pack,' Owen added.
‘We heard the manager before the game say Cole Palmer can play in any of those positions around the front and I’m sure he can but I would prefer him to be at his best and getting more of the ball in a more central area.’
While Palmer can play on the wings, it is widely agreed that he is at his best when the 22-year-old is driving through the centre of the pitch.
The attacking midfielder would go on to pick up the Premier League's Young Player of the Season award for the 2023-24 campaign, with Palmer returning 22 goals across 34 Premier League matches for Chelsea.
Former Chelsea attacking midfielder Glenn Hoddle agreed with Owen, adding: ‘I don’t like to see [Palmer so wide]. Start out wide and be allowed to drift in.
‘In the second half, I’m not sure if it was the manager or he just said to himself, “I’m going to get the ball”. You need him on the ball!
‘That means he needs to be in the hub of the team where people are feeding him and he’s getting the ball twice as much. Things will happen off him.’
Palmer, meanwhile, has extended his stay at the west London club for another two years, after joining Chelsea from Man City for £42.5million in 2023. It means he is contracted to Chelsea for the next nine years.
'I don’t think it’s the contract but when you score 20 goals one season it’s always difficult to replicate, whether you are Cole Palmer or even Erling Haaland,' Maresca said, when pressed on Palmer's performance after the game.
'It’s difficult and with Palmer, we have to make sure we share the responsibility for goals with other wingers and attacking midfielders.
'It is not everything on Cole’s shoulders. We play with two wingers, two attacking players and a No 9. So these five players are the ones in charge of scoring goals and assisting their team-mates. The wingers, attacking players and No 9 are in charge of scoring goals.'
While the club's owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, appear to be buying younger stars to build for the future, Chelsea's purchases and approach to selling players have left many fans scratching their heads.
The decision to leave Conor Gallagher in limbo over his Chelsea future this summer has also caused many fans, including Paul Merson, to question the business model at the club, with the midfielder a graduate of the Blues' academy.