A strong start to the season has come with its own challenges for Chelsea.
Seven goals across two wins against West Ham United and Fulham have shown that Enzo Maresca’s side can share the responsibility in attack.
It is a welcome change for a team that had often leaned too heavily on one playmaker to provide the spark.
Cole Palmer has been absent since the second game of the campaign. He withdrew during the warm-up against West Ham and has not been seen in the first-team squad since.
For Maresca, the situation is delicate. While others have stepped up in his absence, there are bigger tests to come.
Next week, Chelsea face Bayern Munich in the Champions League before returning to the Premier League against Manchester United.
These are the games where Maresca would want his best players available. However, as he admitted on Friday morning, caution may win out over risk.
Speaking to reporters (via football.london), Maresca revealed:
“Cole took part in the session yesterday for the first time, not the entire session. We have one more session this afternoon, and we are going to try with him to see if he’s okay; otherwise, he will be out tomorrow.
He is recovering from an injury, it’s not managing him, it’s recovering from an injury. When he is available, we need to manage him because of the amount of games.”
The words leave little doubt. Cole Palmer remains unlikely to feature against Brentford, and his involvement in the key fixtures to come is far from certain.
In the meantime, Maresca may need to trust others. Moises Caicedo, Andrey Santos, Estevao Willian, and Joao Pedro all returned late from international duty.
Reece James could be given a rest after two full games for England.
This opens the door for Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Buonanotte, and Malo Gusto, who have trained throughout the break at Cobham.
Want to get the latest transfer news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
