Enzo Maresca dismissed considerations round Cole Palmer’s type and mentioned it was on the opposite gamers to dig Chelsea out of their present hunch.
Maresca’s aspect have slipped to seventh within the Premier League after three defeats of their final 4 video games, the newest of which got here at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Palmer has been a inventive drive for Chelsea this season with 14 targets and 6 assists in 26 appearances however has not scored in 5 outings along with his decline mirroring that of his workforce.
✊#CFC | #AVLCHE pic.twitter.com/IgWNuCinbn
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2025
Chelsea play host to rock-bottom Southampton tomorrow evening, providing each membership and participant the possibility to get again on monitor.
Requested concerning the England playmaker in the present day, Maresca mentioned: “I’m at all times involved about normal efficiency. I’m not involved about Cole as a result of Cole is a human being and he can have some moments throughout a season the place he struggles a bit bit extra.
“The issue with Cole is that we depend on Cole for the whole lot and I mentioned since we began that we have to depend on the workforce. We’d like prime gamers like Cole however we aren’t fearful about him in any respect.”
We have to be extra medical – Maresca
Requested what Palmer must do to return to his finest, the Italian added: “He must proceed the way in which he’s working. The opposite day he had an amazing probability however general the efficiency from him – as I mentioned, each sport we count on a purpose or help from him so it’s tough.
“He’s a human being. At this second his performances in all probability mirror the workforce performances that we battle to attain targets so we have to be a bit extra medical after we get the probabilities.”
On paper, a sport with the Saints seems excellent for Chelsea however Maresca is cautious of Ivan Juric’s aspect regardless of the very fact they’ve claimed simply 9 factors all season.
He mentioned: ”I don’t belief video games like this, they are often difficult video games. If you happen to watch the sport in opposition to Manchester United away they have been profitable 1-0 till the final 5 minutes. It’s a tough one and any longer, each sport, each workforce is enjoying for one thing so they’re all going to be powerful.
“Our responsibility is to arrange each sport to win. Any longer we’ve got 12 video games to go and it’s little question that every one 12 are should win for us.”
Jorgensen nonetheless the primary
Maresca will persist with Filip Jorgensen in purpose regardless of his expensive error at Villa Park however can be with out defender Trevoh Chalobah, who limped off after simply eight minutes.
“He had a test yesterday and he can be round one week to 10 days,” mentioned Maresca of Chalobah.
“On one aspect it’s good as a result of it’s not an vital damage however on the opposite aspect it’s a disgrace as a result of we lose one other participant at this second with the quantity of accidents that we had.”
Chelsea stay with no recognised centre-forward with each Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu injured.