Why Emerson Palmieri could be key for Chelsea this season

Chelsea have had a mixed start to the 2019/20 campaign as they have clinched just five points from four Premier League matches so far.

Even though they were impressive for much of the Super Cup against Liverpool, they ended up losing on penalties and the chance to win silverware just passed away.

Frank Lampard, who replaced Maurizio Sarri at the helm of the club, has both positives and negatives to take from the first four games of the new season. Speaking about the positives, left-back Emerson Palmieri has impressed with his energetic displays under Lampard thus far.

Emerson Palmieri, 25, signed for Chelsea from AS Roma in January 2018, initially arriving at Stamford Bridge as a back-up option to Marcos Alonso. He was used sparingly by Antonio Conte in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign but the Brazilian’s involvement increased under Sarri as he featured 27 times across all competitions last term.

The 25-year-old finally appears to have established himself as the first-choice left-back and has played every minute of the Lampard reign so far. He has been one of the most consistent performers at the beginning of the campaign, showing all the right attributes needed to thrive in Lampard’s high-pressing system.

In fact, Emerson is yet to be dribbled past once so far this season tells one the staggering impact he has made under the new boss.

Not only does he boast such an impressive ability to anticipate danger, but the ex-Roma man has also shown the desire to burst forward at every opportunity and help his team in the final third of the pitch.

The 25-year-old is proving he is a well-balanced left-back that defends with a lot of heart and is a tenacious tackler, whilst exciting going forward. That mix has helped Emerson keep Marcos Alonso away from Lampard’s starting XI.

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Emerson clearly isn’t a finished article as he still has some facets of the game that needs improving.

Chelsea have been poor at the back, but the problem lies in central defence and Lampard is surely aware of it. All in all, one can say that Lampard’s system has got the best out of Emerson to date.

Verdict

It’s early days, but Emerson is clearly becoming one of Lampard’s most important players at Chelsea. The Blues chief and the fans will hope the Brazilian ace stays fit and continues in the same vein through the course of this season.