Mauricio Pochettino names the one player Chelsea 'struggle' without during Premier League games

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted his team struggle to get going without their prolific forward Cole Palmer who missed the 5-0 thrashing at the Emirates. 

Before the game against Arsenal, the Argentinian challenged his players to prove there were more than just a Cole Palmer FC but the resounding nature of the defeat suggested otherwise. 

He told reporters ahead of Monday night: "It is a good challenge. I would be motivated to go there and show that this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club."

But after the shambolic performance, he’s had to admit his team relies heavily on the former Manchester City man. Pochettino said today: "We can talk, we can talk. In the end, it's the reality. Cole is a key player for us. He is showing we are struggling a little bit without him. That's a reality we can't hide."

Sensational Palmer going for Golden Boot 

The 21-year-old has been a massive success already in west London with 20 league goals and nine assists in his first season at Chelsea. Surprisingly, he had not scored a league goal before joining Pochettino’s side. 

Beyond goals, he provides the team with needed unpredictability and has led the way where even more expensive signings have failed to show up. 

Chelsea are still in with a chance to finish in Europa League having painfully missed the chance to get to the final of the FA Cup against Manchester City the other night. 

If they can go on a run starting with this weekend’s visit to Aston Villa, they could go ahead of West Ham United in eighth and close the gap on Manchester United in sixth in the last stretch of the campaign.

There is a certain level of sympathy for manager Pochettino who will go in this weekend missing 12 players.