Cole Palmer needs to be “protected”, according to Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who will be without the in-form England midfielder when they face Gent in the Conference League tomorrow night.
Palmer was omitted from the Chelsea squad for the first stage of the competition to manage his workload after coming off a busy debut season in senior football that culminated in him going to the European Championship with the Three Lions.
The 22-year-old has continued to shine this term, scoring four times in Saturday’s 4-2 defeat of Brighton and Maresca is eager to keep him fresh.
He said: “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.”
Chelsea’s big squad an advantage
Chelsea are certainly not short of options in attacking areas and will be able to field a strong side to take on the Belgians at Stamford Bridge with Maresca hinting it could be similar to the one that beat Barrow last week in the EFL Cup.
He added: “We try to share minutes with all of them. In this moment, probably, it looks like we have players that are playing in the Premier League and players playing in the cups; Conference, EFL or FA Cup.
“It’s not like this, in general it won’t be like this. We try to give them the opportunity.
“Last week, they all had a very good game. Hopefully tomorrow, we have a good game.”
Our #UECL campaign begins this Thursday. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/vmmuc0Fa6T
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 30, 2024
Casadei to come in
Cesare Casadei is set to feature with Maresca impressed by the young Italian’s versatility.
“I think he did very well [against Barrow]. He struggled in the beginning but finished really well,” he said.
“I think he can cover different things, physicality, on the ball, off the ball, understanding how he has to move. He can give us good…
Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/football/conference-league/chelsea-v-gent-palmer-needs-protecting-as-he-sits-out-conference-league-clash/
Author : Jon Fisher
Publish date : 2024-10-02 13:30:40
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.