Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca explained that Cole Palmer has an injury which forces him to miss Sunday’s clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The England international did feature in his side’s UEFA Conference League victory over Copenhagen in the second leg, albeit off the bench, with many attributing that to regular rotation.
But having been left off the squad list entirely for Chelsea’s London derby with Arsenal, concerns grew over whether Palmer had an issue that may prove costly as the Blues battle for a Champions League place. However, Maresca confirmed that he was hopeful that the talisman would return after the upcoming international break.
Quizzed on Palmer’s absence before kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, Maresca told Sky Sports: “He had last week a problem and unfortunately yesterday he had a very small problem [in training]. We think that probably after the international break he can be back with us.
“He had an injury yesterday during the session. It was a very light session, that’s why we think it’s nothing important. We still need to wait, but the feeling is that he will be back after the international break.”
It is now likely that Palmer will pull out of the England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. He was named in the group last week but his latest injury suggests that he will be forced to withdraw in order to make a full recovery.
Palmer is currently experiencing a dry spell in front of goal, having failed to score in any of his last 10 appearances for Chelsea. Maresca recently said he was not worried about the 22-year-old’s lack of form, tipping him to bounce back and rediscover his mojo.
“I am not concerned about him,” insisted the Chelsea boss. “I am always concerned about general performances, but not Cole because Cole is a human being and always during a season he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more.
“Every game we expect a goal or an assist, but it is difficult. In this moment his team performance reflects the team’s that he struggles to score goals. We need to be more clinical when we get chances.
“Cole is just frustrated that we are not winning games. It is nothing more than that. The problem with Cole is we rely on Cole for everything.
“I have said since the start we need to rely on the team for everything. For sure, there are top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all.”
