What impresses Zola about Cole Palmer: ‘I needed to train very hard to do that’ | OneFootball

Former Chelsea, Parma and Napoli forward Gianfranco Zola returned to his old club in London to meet up with England international Cole Palmer for a recent TV segment, during which the Italian explained what it is that impresses him so much about the former Manchester City man.

Zola and Palmer appeared together for a segment on BBC’s Football Focus over the weekend. The pair enjoyed a conversation about their similarities as players, before practicing a few free-kicks and shots from the edge of the penalty area at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.

“Cole Palmer is a player that has a lot of very good qualities, we both enjoy having the ball very much, we both play in similar positions, there are a lot of similarities,” Zola said about their likeness on the pitch.

Analysing Palmer’s game, Zola told him: “One of the many qualities I see with you is the ability to think ahead of the opposition,”

Palmer replied: “Because I was always the smallest, I played with the older ones, it made you realise you have to work more on your skill.“

That was an issue that the diminutive Zola also encountered throughout his career.

“My thinking was similar to yours, because I could not stand the physical confrontations, so I needed to move the ball all the time.

“Normally when players receive the ball, what they do is they receive it, then they look, and then they deliver. What you do is you look, receive the ball and deliver. Sometimes you deliver without controlling the ball because you are already ahead.”

What impresses Zola about Cole Palmer

Zola then revealed which part of Palmer’s game impresses him the most. An example was his goal against Wolves, when he managed to lob the goalkeeper first-time, barely looking up before dispatching his effort into the back of the net.

“The ball comes to you, you watch the goalkeeper and then you kick. Did you do anything to train that ability? Or does it come naturally?,” Zola asked, to which Palmer gestured as if to say it does come naturally.

“Wow, I’m impressed. This guy did it without even training. I needed to train very hard to do that. It’s a big compliment.”