'not Random' - Maresca Blames Injuries On Workload

Chelsea head Enzo Maresca thinks Cole Palmer's wounded is "not random" and is concerned astir nan lingering effects of winning nan Fifa Club World Cup.

The 23-year-old guardant has been ruled retired of Saturday's Premier League lucifer astatine location to Fulham.

Palmer's wounded has been linked to an unprecedented 12-month play wherever his squad played 64 matches, including nan expanded Club World Cup tourney successful July.

After beating Paris St-Germain successful New Jersey connected July 13, and having little than 2 weeks to hole for nan existent campaign, Chelsea had their shortest ever spread betwixt seasons. This included nan 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, which were impacted by nan Covid pandemic.

When asked astir Palmer's absence, Maresca said: "I don't deliberation that it is random that our 3 players pinch nan astir minutes past twelvemonth were Levi [Colwill], Cole and Moi [Caicedo].

"Levi is injured, Cole excessively and Moi coming only had his first training convention since nan West Ham game.

"It is not random, it is nan magnitude of games. Look astatine [Manchester] City past year, they mislaid Rodri aft 2 aliases 3 games. He was a subordinate that had nan astir minutes for them.

"We are going to person problems this play for judge because of past season. But It's astir really we tin accommodate and get players to recover."

England defender Colwill started 35 of Chelsea's 38 convention matches past play but is expected to beryllium retired for nan mostly of nan play aft knee surgery.

Meanwhile, Caicedo is now a uncertainty for nan sojourn of Fulham, having been Chelsea's only subordinate to commencement each convention lucifer past season.

Palmer, who pulled retired of past week's triumph astatine West Ham pinch a niggle successful nan warm-up, was besides a adjacent ever-present successful nan erstwhile campaign.

Maresca added: "I person said that pinch Cole we are overmuch amended pinch him than without him. But if he has immoderate problems we request to springiness him nan correct clip to recover.

"It doesn't matter if Estevao [Willian] is location aliases not, we can't show Cole he tin relax, we request Cole backmost astatine 100%."

Maresca's complaints hap wrong nan wider discourse of global players' national Fifpro's ineligible actions against world shot governing assemblage Fifa.

Fifpro president Sergio Marchi claimed Fifa "chose to proceed expanding its gross astatine nan disbursal of nan players' bodies and health" successful July aft Chelsea's 3-0 triumph complete PSG to extremity nan tourney successful nan United States.

That came successful consequence to claims by Fifa president Gianni Infantino that he was moving "the astir successful nine title successful nan world".