Chelsea has been dealing with a critical injury situation since the beginning of the season. With many players like Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Benoît Badiashile, and Romeo Lavia sidelined, the Blues’ aspirations of competing for the Premier League title have taken a hit.
Although many new talents were signed by Chelsea during the summer transfer window, unforeseen injuries have dragged the club down to sixth place. Meanwhile, Cole Palmer has also been facing similar issues, which could put the Blues at risk of dropping further down the table.
Palmer is said to have been dealing with a groin issue since before the Club World Cup, which was later aggravated, causing him to miss two Premier League matches against West Ham and Fulham. A strong performance was expected from the Englishman in the match against Manchester United, but Enzo Maresca was forced to make an early substitution in the 20th minute after the England international appeared to aggravate the issue again.
In a recent press conference, Enzo Maresca expressed his concern for Palmer, confirming that he has been under constant assessment. Meanwhile, according to Simon Phillips (via Chelsea News), the Englishman has a new tear in the same groin and could be out for around 3-6 weeks.
Maresca’s dilemma in Chelsea’s Cole Palmer injury crisis
His absence from the squad for several weeks could leave the Blues relying on alternate options such as Enzo Fernández and Facundo Buonanotte.
However, nobody can truly replace Palmer’s individual excellence and attacking ability, and his absence could create a major setback in Maresca’s gameplay in the coming weeks. He is the main creative force in this team and arguably biggest goalscoring threat as well.
Chasing vital points in the league could prove difficult in the near future for the Blues, and it will be a significant challenge for Maresca to guide the team to success without their star performer.