Enzo Maresca warned his Chelsea gamers they can not depend on Cole Palmer to “clear up all our issues” as they put together for a gruelling run of Premier League fixtures, starting with Sunday’s assembly with Liverpool.
Following the sport at Anfield, by which the pinnacle coach will probably be with out suspended pair Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana in defence, the Blues play Newcastle at residence earlier than travelling to Previous Trafford to face Manchester United.
Arsenal then go to Stamford Bridge to spherical off a three-week spell by which the potential in proof throughout Maresca’s first seven video games will obtain a radical inspection, with the staff’s top-four credentials put to the check.
Chelsea sit fourth within the league and Palmer has been key to their tremendous begin, hitting six targets in seven video games together with an historic haul in opposition to Brighton when he turned the primary Premier League participant to internet 4 within the first half.
However with enviable power in depth out there to Maresca, who has alternated between a special XI for league and cup matches with out impacting the staff’s fluency or consistency, he urged in opposition to trying to Palmer to do all of it.
“If we expect that Cole goes to unravel all our issues, it’s a giant mistake,” he mentioned. “We put all of the strain on his shoulders and that’s incorrect.
“Additionally as a result of now we have Cole however now we have many gamers which might be doing nicely; Noni (Madueke), Pedro (Neto), Nicolas (Jackson), Christo (Christopher Nkunku), Enzo (Fernandez). It’s not nearly Cole, it’s about all of the squad.”
With seven targets, Nkunku is the staff’s high scorer this season, albeit just one has come within the league – the winner in final month’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth.
Madueke, who scored a hat-trick in opposition to Wolves in August has 5 in all competitions while Jackson has 4.
Victory at Anfield can be Chelsea’s first since March 2021 and would see them transfer to inside a degree of Arne Slot’s staff, who cleared the path after seven video games.
Manchester Metropolis, who received 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on the opening Sunday, and Arsenal are every three away from Maresca’s aspect going into the weekend, although the Italian has beforehand mentioned he doesn’t consider his staff are able to problem final season’s high three – a degree he reiterated forward of Chelsea’s journey north.
“I don’t see on this second Chelsea being shut to those form of golf equipment, for a lot of causes,” he mentioned. “However for positive we work day by day to be near (Liverpool), understanding it requires us to work collectively day-to-day, time to strategy and go shut.
“The one solution to attempt to be shut is simply to be focussed on the issues we have to enhance. To assume the place we will to be in 4 video games, its a bit troublesome. The one factor I can say is that we need to attempt to do our greatest Sunday.
“I think about the Metropolis recreation our greatest this season, for a lot of causes. To begin with as a result of I do know Metropolis, and second as a result of we actually performed recreation, didn’t concede many possibilities. We had many possibilities earlier than and after they scored.
“Recreation after recreation we’re enhancing various things, however that recreation was recreation.”
