Enzo Maresca heads into a crucial stretch of Chelsea’s season with his squad stretched thin across the pitch. The headline setback came on Friday morning: Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s creative heartbeat, will miss the next three games – Brighton, Benfica, and Liverpool – with a persistent groin issue, ruling him out of England duty as well.
But Palmer’s absence is only the start of Maresca’s problems. Tosin Adarabioyo (calf) is sidelined until after the international break, while Wesley Fofana has entered concussion protocols following a clash with stand-in goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen at Lincoln in midweek. Levi Colwill remains a long-term absentee, and Benoît Badiashile has only just returned to training after months out. It leaves Trevoh Chalobah and teenager Josh Acheampong as the only fit centre-backs, with Acheampong recovering from illness.
Goalkeeper Robert Sánchez is back from suspension and expected to start against his former club, though his deputy Jörgensen endured a torrid spell deputising. Midfield is also depleted: Dário Essugo remains out, Roméo Lavia is a doubt, and Facundo Buonanotte cannot face his parent club Brighton. Up front, Liam Delap’s hamstring problem forces Maresca to improvise, with youngster Tyrique George deputising as striker at Lincoln and Marc Guiu waiting in reserve.
Even João Pedro, ever-present so far, has been carrying a knock and trained only on Thursday. “Since he arrived, he has played almost every game,” Maresca admitted. “Probably that is why he has some problem. We need to think about giving him rest.”
Chelsea’s form has dipped since their Club World Cup triumph, with dropped points at Brentford and defeats to Bayern Munich and Manchester United piling pressure on the manager. His tactical choices, such as switching to a back five at Old Trafford after Sánchez’s red card, have been scrutinised, while the exile of Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling continues to fuel debate.
Despite a mounting injury list and growing pressure, Maresca insists he will not recall Disasi: “There is not any information from the club to consider that, so at the moment he is not an option.”
With three defining fixtures at Stamford Bridge in the space of a week, Chelsea’s season could hinge on how Maresca navigates an injury crisis that has left him scrambling for solutions.
