Morgan Rogers was quite surprised to learn that Cole Palmer was voted Player of the Match in Chelsea's 6-3 victory over Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.
I have 4 assists already" - Rogers said humorously. Palmer laughed and replied: "I think you deserve that title". Then, Rogers continued to tease his teammate: "Don't mention me. I'm just an outsider.
The humorous exchange recorded by the camera shows the harmony between these two players. That connection is also being clearly shown on the court. When asked if the two felt like they had played together for a long time, Rogers replied: "ALMOST".
Rogers and Palmer were originally close friends, having played side by side in the youth teams of England and Manchester City. Now, they continue to find synergy at Chelsea. Along with Joao Pedro, they have contributed a total of 11 goals and assists in the first 5 matches of the season.
Palmer and Rogers' performance in the second half of the match against Leeds created a turning point for Chelsea. Rogers made an impromptu move by using his butt to drop the ball for Palmer to score the equalizer. After that, they continued to coordinate in Chelsea's third and sixth goals.
Their combinations are becoming a highlight in The Blues' play. After 5 matches, Rogers made 19 passes to Palmer, almost double compared to any other player. In the opposite direction, only Josh Acheampong received more passes from Palmer, with 15 times.
Interestingly, despite constantly finding each other, Rogers and Palmer have only directly coordinated to create one goal. This number could completely be higher. In the 4-3 victory over Brighton, the two successively assisted each other but were both prevented by the opponent in the final minutes. In the opening match against Fulham, Rogers created 3 scoring opportunities for Palmer but the English midfielder could not take advantage of them.
In total, Palmer and Rogers created 9 chances for each other, more than double any other pair of players in the Premier League. Behind them are 5 pairs with 4 chances each, including Palmer - Joao Pedro and Antoine Semenyo - Erling Haaland.
It is worth mentioning that the coordination does not only come from one side. Many people expect Palmer to be the assist provider for Rogers, but in reality it often happens in the opposite direction. Palmer only scored 1 goal in the last 13 matches last season, but has 4 goals in 5 matches this season. The appearance of Rogers is part of the reason for the increase in the threat from Palmer.
We have different qualities, the way we play and the way we influence the match are also different. Finally, the important thing is to score, assist and connect the match. We can do that in our own way" - Rogers shared.
That difference is clearly shown in the way they look for each other. Rogers often tries to bring the ball to the position where Palmer can exploit the gap between the opponent's midfield and defense.
With Palmer and Rogers constantly finding each other in midfield, Chelsea has carried out more attacks through the central area of the field than any other team in the Premier League.
