Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca Raises Concerns Over Player Injuries
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed concerns regarding the injury of Cole Palmer, suggesting it is "not random" and may be a consequence of the demanding schedule following their victory in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The 23-year-old forward has been ruled out of Saturday's Premier League match against Fulham.
Palmer's injury is linked to an unprecedented 12-month season in which Chelsea played 64 matches, including the expanded Club World Cup tournament in July.
After defeating Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey on July 13, Chelsea faced one of the shortest off-seasons in their history, with less than two weeks to prepare for the current campaign. This situation was exacerbated by the interruptions during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked about Palmer's absence, Maresca noted, "I don't think it is random that our three players with the most minutes last year were Levi [Colwill], Cole, and Moi [Caicedo]. Levi is injured, Cole too, and Moi only had his first training session today since the West Ham game. It is not random; it is the amount of games. Look at [Manchester] City last year; they lost Rodri after two or three games. He was a player that had the most minutes for them. We are going to have problems this season for sure because of last season. But it’s about how we can adapt and get players to recover."
England defender Colwill started 35 of Chelsea's 38 league matches last season but is expected to be sidelined for the majority of the current season following knee surgery.
Meanwhile, Caicedo is now a doubt for the match against Fulham, having been Chelsea's only player to start every league match last season.
Palmer, who withdrew from last week's victory at West Ham due to a minor issue during warm-up, was also a near-constant presence in the previous campaign.
Maresca added, "I have said that with Cole, we are much better with him than without him. But if he has some problems, we need to give him the right time to recover. It doesn’t matter if Estevao [Willian] is there or not; we can’t tell Cole he can relax. We need Cole back at 100%."
Maresca's remarks come amid broader concerns raised by the global players' union, FIFPro, which has initiated legal actions against FIFA. FIFPro president Sergio Marchi criticized FIFA for prioritizing revenue generation over the health and well-being of players, particularly following Chelsea's 3-0 victory over PSG to conclude the tournament in the United States. This statement was in response to FIFA president Gianni Infantino's claims of running "the most successful club competition in the world."