Ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie with Lincoln City, Enzo Maresca has commented on the early-season injuries.
It’s been difficult for Enzo Maresca to field his strongest Chelsea XI this season, with minor injuries niggling at some key players.
Most notably, Cole Palmer’s ongoing groin injury has seen him in and out of the line-up in the opening weeks.
But he’s not the only player dealing with fitness issues, and Maresca doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.
Enzo Maresca makes surprising claim about Chelsea’s injuries
The Chelsea boss was asked about the health of the squad to start the season, as a number of players have been dealing with injuries.
Maresca recognises the impact this has had on Chelsea’s start to the season, but explains why it’s a hard problem to solve.
He responds: “It’s a situation we need to manage because if we have Moi (Caicedo) with a small problem, and for instance, Romeo was fit, or Dario is fit, we could give Moi a rest.
“But in this moment, Dario is injured, Romeo is injured, and again, we are in a new situation for us because of the Club World Cup, so we don’t know how will be this season in terms of injury.”
Chelsea’s squad is as deep as anyone’s, so they shouldn’t be impacted to the extent of other teams around them, but so far this campaign, they have been.
Levi Colwill is out for the season, Liam Delap will miss at least another two months, and Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile and Dario Essugo are still sidelined as of now.
As for what could be causing this mini-crisis, Maresca obviously thinks something they are doing in-house is exacerbating these issues, remarking: “I don’t think it’s random the amount of injuries we have.”
They will need to figure out what it is, and fast.
Maresca hesitant to trust academy players against Lincoln City
Despite the glaring need for rest and rotation, the Argentine doesn’t see it as straightforward.
Yes, this week’s match against Lincoln City should be a cakewalk, but there is always the risk of an upset.
Maresca responded to a question about using academy players in this fixture, saying: “You can slip very easily in these kinds of games. Football is full of these kinds of games, so I am worried about that.”
Certainly, a midweek loss to a third-tier side would dampen the mood at Stamford Bridge even further. But equally, there is the risk of a continuation of the struggles we have seen in the last week if players aren’t afforded sufficient rest.
There would normally be enough depth in the senior squad, but with so many injuries plaguing the side, Maresca may need to utilise some young players if Chelsea are to be ready to fight on all fronts over the coming weeks.
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