Sawt Falasteen - Maresca says Chelsea are over-reliant on Palmer

The England attacking midfielder has scored 14 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League this season but his last goal was in mid-January and he last set up a goal on December 1.

Chelsea, just two points behind runaway leaders Liverpool in mid-December, have slipped to seventh in the table after three defeats in their past four games, though they are just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

Maresca, preparing his team to host rock-bottom Southampton on Tuesday, said he was not worried about Palmer's dip in form.

"I'm not concerned about Cole because Cole is a human being and during the season he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more," he told reporters on Monday.

"The problem with Cole is probably that we rely on Cole for everything and I said since we started that we need to rely on the team. For sure we need big players, top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all."

He added: "Every game we expect from him a goal or assist. It's difficult, he's a human being, he's a player. At this moment, probably his performance also reflects a little bit the team performance.

"We struggle to score goals and we need to be a little bit more clinical when we get the chances."

The Italian, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, remains upbeat over Chelsea's form as they chase a Champions League place.

"Even against Villa (a 2-1 defeat on Saturday), I think the identity was there," he said. "The way we play on the ball and off the ball was there, very similar to what we are doing during the season.

"So the identity is there. I said after Aston Villa game, in this moment I have the feeling that winning one, we can have a good run again and we can build a good momentum again. That is what I think in this moment the players need."

D.Khalil--SF-PST