Maresca says Chelsea has to protect Palmer by limiting games

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has defended his decision to leave Cole Palmer off of his Conference League squad. The Blues boss shocked many by previously not selecting his best player for the competition.

Mareca also left Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana off of the list, but the moves were limiting the duo’s minutes. The midfielder and defender both missed significant time last season due to fairly serious injuries. Lavia’s hamstring issue even continued on to affect his playing time in recent weeks as well.

Palmer, however, has been relatively injury-free since the beginning of 2022. The young playmaker has also been the team’s star player since he joined last summer from Manchester City.

In fact, no other Premier League player, not even Erling Haaland, had more direct goal involvements than Palmer last season. The England international racked up 33 combined goals and assists in as many English top-flight games in the campaign.

Maresca ‘protecting’ Palmer by leaving him off of Conference League squad

Palmer’s immense contribution to Chelsea has led some to question whether or not the club is too reliant on the lone star. Maresca was asked specifically about this in a press conference on Wednesday. The coach denied the claims and also asserted that he has to protect Palmer by not forcing him to play Conference League games.

“No. It is not about reliance,” stated Maresca. “We played some games without Cole, but sure, and for us, Cole is something extra that you need. We also need to think a bit to protect some players. They need that. There is a reason behind it, and I think Cole needs to be protected.”

The coach’s comments could be a slight dig at the Conference League. After all, the tournament is the third-tiered European competition, and UEFA only created the tournament in 2021. The Conference League generally features clubs from lower-ranked top-flight leagues in the continent.

Because of this, Chelsea is undoubtedly the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament this season. The Blues are currently the only team in the competition to have winning odds under +500 at the moment. Fiorentina and Real Betis are Chelsea’s most significant opponents in the tournament.

Palmer decision frees up much needed minutes for other players

Along with protecting Palmer, Maresca can use the Conference League as a way to give players ample minutes. The Blues notoriously have a bloated roster and face a tough task of keeping players happy. Chelsea’s senior squad is currently at 29 players. On top of this, Reece James is the only officially injured player at the moment.

For reference, Arsenal and Liverpool both have 23 senior players in their squads. Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, on the other hand, have 24 players.

Maresca also discussed keeping all of his players happy on Wednesday as well. “We try to share minutes with all of them,” replied the coach. “At this moment, probably, it looks like we have players that are playing in the Premier League and players playing in the cups: Conference, Carabao, or FA Cup.

“It’s not like this. In general, it won’t be like this. We try to give them the opportunity.”

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