Emerson Palmieri waited for a Premier League start, and he waited and he waited some more. It is more than 18 months, more than 530 days since he started for Chelsea in the derby against Arsenal in January last year. Emerson put in an accomplished performance as he deputised ably for Italy against SpainIt must have been a daunting task with barely any competitive football in the tank to replace Spinazzola. Emerson came in at Wembley, linked up well going forward and was solid at the back as they fought off Spain. Jorginho's excellent form in the late stages of the Champions League and at Euro 2020 has launched a Balon d'Or campaign on his behalf in Italy.

Source: Daily Mail July 07, 2021 21:22 UTC