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 likely 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 crew’s top-four credentials put to the take a look at.
Chelsea sit fourth within the league and Palmer has been key to their advantageous begin, hitting six objectives in seven video games together with an historic haul in opposition to Brighton when he grew to become the primary Premier League participant to web 4 within the first half.
However with enviable power in depth obtainable to Maresca, who has alternated between a special XI for league and cup matches with out impacting the crew’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 stated. “We put all of the stress on his shoulders and that’s improper.
“Additionally as a result of now we have Cole however now we have many gamers which can be doing properly; 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 objectives, Nkunku is the crew’s prime 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 some extent of Arne Slot’s crew, who prepared the ground 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 stated he doesn’t consider his crew are able to problem final season’s prime three – some extent 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 stated. “However for positive we work each day to be near (Liverpool), figuring out it requires us to work collectively daily, time to strategy and go shut.
“The one technique to attempt to be shut is simply to be focussed on the issues we have to enhance. To suppose the place we will to be in 4 video games, its a bit tough. 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. Initially as a result of I do know Metropolis, and second as a result of we actually performed a superb recreation, didn’t concede many probabilities. We had many probabilities earlier than and after they scored.
“Sport after recreation we’re bettering various things, however that recreation was a superb recreation.”
