Virgil Van Dijk has established himself as the best central defender in the Premier League over the last few years, but former Premier League striker Darren Bent believes that Chelsea has a player who is just as important to his side.
In the aftermath of Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Benfica, former Premier League striker Darren Bent pointed out a player who is a crucial piece for the Blues.
Though Chelsea managed to get the job done against Jose Mourinho’s team on Tuesday night, the performance was not overly convincing as they struggled to create many clear-cut chances against the Portuguese team.
And that might be because Chelsea were without the man Bent compares to Virgil van Dijk in terms of importance to the side.
Meanwhile, Cole Palmer is undoubtedly the Blues’ talisman, and the former England striker believes that the side is just not the same without him.
In fact, Bent believes that Palmer is just as important to Chelsea as Van Dijk is to Liverpool.
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Darren Bent compares Cole Palmer to Virgil van Dijk
Chelsea held on to a 1-0 lead that came courtesy of a Richard Rios own goal in the early stages.
But the Blues weren’t able to get much joy going forward after taking the lead, and Cole Palmer’s absence through injury is a major reason for this.
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Speaking after the match on talkSPORT, Bent says the Englishman's absence on the pitch was key to Chelsea’s attacking struggles.
He explained, “You have to remember, you take anyone’s best player and I’m talking about the most influential player in your team out, you’re going to struggle. Like you take out Virgil at Liverpool, they’re going to struggle.”
While Chelsea are certain to miss a player of Palmer’s ability going forward, they must find a way to cope in his absence as he is set to be out for the next few weeks.
In his absence, Maresca’s team has the likes of Joao Pedro, Estevao or Pedro Neto to find the impetus to take over the Englishman’s duties when he’s not in the side.
Chelsea have invested enough in the attack at this stage to not have to place all faith in one player, but at the moment, they’re struggling without their star.
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