Cole Palmer vs Morgan Rogers: Goal ‘competition’ at Chelsea is inevitable as ex-Blues striker sees benefits to ‘banter’ between superstar playmakers

That battle is already well underway, with seven matches being taken in across all competitions. Palmer, who has withdrawn from the latest England squad after initially being recalled by Thomas Tuchel on the back of his World Cup snub, has found the target on four occasions so far, while registering a couple of assists.

Rogers, who remains part of the Three Lions’ fold for now, has teed up four efforts for grateful team-mates. He has also hit the back of the net on three occasions himself. The 24-year-old is slightly ahead when it comes to overall contributions.

His best return on the goal front is 14, having posted that number across a couple of campaigns at Aston Villa, while Palmer is seeking to rediscover the spark that saw him register 25 efforts through his debut campaign in west London - earning PFA Young Player of the Year honours in the process.

Chelsea need both of their No.10s - with Palmer filling that jersey - to deliver this season as defensive leaks have proved difficult to plug. As long as their forwards are firing, with Brazilian striker Joao Pedro leading the line, then precious points should be picked up on a regular basis - while also making positive progress in domestic cup competitions.

Palmer and Rogers are considered to be a playmaking pairing to rival any in world football - alongside the likes of Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

Asked if the England duo occupy such a lofty standing, and what should be expected from them over the coming months, ex-Chelsea striker Cole - who was speaking in association with LiveScore Bet - told GOAL: “Their forward line is formidable. It's probably one of the best in the Premier League if you're going to look at it man-to-man on paper.

“You look at Morgan, he’s come in, I think he's a Chelsea fan as well from when he was young, and he's there with his mate, Cole Palmer, they've grown up knowing each other and playing with each other and understanding each other's game.

“You can see the camaraderie they have between each other, the banter they have between them. And that obviously will trickle down to the group to make everybody feel more comfortable.

“And that's just the off-field stuff. Now when you go on the field, they're both trying to probe, trying to make things happen, trying to create goals, score goals. And I'm sure there'll be a competition with each other as well to see how many goals they can score this season.

“You saw in an interview, both of them having a slight banter with each other, a slight dig at each other, saying ‘how the hell did he get man of the match?’ I think it was in the cup game [against Leeds]. I think Rogers created about four goals and Cole Palmer got two goals. So he was kind of upset about ‘how did he get it!’ So that's the kind of banter you want in the dressing room. And it's nice to see it on the screens as well. It shows that the players have character and that they're happy.

“But it's not their fault why they keep on conceding goals. They can only do their job. And they're not always going to come up trumps. But if they don't come up trumps and you're conceding goals, then their job gets put in question as well. But really and truly, it's not just their job to score all the goals. And if you've got a leaky defence, sometimes you have to score more than you let in. And it's their job, but it's not all their responsibility.

“There has to be a bit of balance. I hope they can sort that out as soon as possible. Otherwise, it might affect the mood in the camp going forward. So that needs to be rectified.”

Chelsea have gone winless through their last three Premier League fixtures, picking up just one point and conceding seven goals. They will return to action on October 10 when playing host to Bournemouth.

Xabi Alonso will be looking to Rogers and Palmer for inspiration again in that contest, with “competition” between two creative influences being actively encouraged as it should help to bring out the best in both.