Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has backed Cole Palmer to come through his recent dry spell in front of goal, insisting the issue is purely a mental one rather than a tactical or technical problem.

Palmer, 22, enjoyed a sensational debut at Stamford Bridge, and started this season brightly, scoring 14 goals in his first 23 games. However, the England international has now gone 16 matches without finding the back of the net, and Chelsea’s form has suffered as a result, slipping from second to sixth in the Premier League table — and currently out of the Champions League places.

Despite Palmer’s drought, Maresca believes the signs are still positive.

“For sure it’s a mental thing, it’s not tactical or technical,” Maresca explained. “Cole is still the player who scored 14 goals in 20 games. The style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same. Nothing has changed around Cole. It’s just mentally in this moment.”

Palmer’s underlying numbers underline Maresca’s point. During his goalless run, no player in the Premier League has attempted more shots than Palmer — 41 efforts — showing that he is still getting into the right positions, even if the final touch has been missing.

The Chelsea manager pointed to Palmer’s body language as another clue to the root of the problem.

“You can see he’s a little bit worried because he wants to help the team,” Maresca said. “You can see he’s struggling a bit on that. But he showed how happy he was after Fulham. It’s just a matter [of whether] we can win games. For sure he’s going to score goals.”

Maresca is adamant that the problem does not lie in Chelsea’s approach play either, highlighting the consistency with which Palmer continues to create chances for himself.

“If you go back game by game, he had at least every game one or two chances, so it’s not about how the team is playing,” he insisted.

While Palmer’s goal drought has come at a difficult time for Chelsea’s season, Maresca’s message is clear: patience is key. The goals will come again — and when they do, Chelsea’s No. 20 could be the spark the Blues need to finish the season strongly.