Enzo Maresca has had to deal with several issues at Chelsea this season, especially of late.
The Chelsea head coach has been without Moises Caicedo following his three-game ban, while his side have dropped points in both of their last two Premier League fixtures.
Cole Palmer will not play against Atalanta, but the attacking midfielder is fit again, so that is one bit of good news for Maresca.
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However, Palmer’s return brings a bit of a problem with it, believes former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy.
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Jason Cundy suggests Enzo Maresca could struggle to get Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo into the same team
Enzo Fernandez has taken up a more advanced role in some games this season in the absence of Palmer.
It has allowed Reece James to come into midfield and add more physicality to the engine room, which has benefitted Chelsea in the big games.
With Palmer fit again, though, Cundy is unsure how Maresca is going to get the 23-year-old, Fernandez and Caicedo all into the same team.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Inside Chelsea show, he said: “The problem he has got and this is a nice problem, how do you get Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo in the same midfield? Fine, that’s not difficult, but then Cole Palmer as a 10.
“The next question you’ve got is where’s Estevao play and where’s Pedro Neto play because they both want to play on that right-hand side?”
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It is not something that Maresca will have to worry about on Tuesday night or Saturday. Again, Palmer will not feature in the Atalanta game, while Caicedo will miss the Everton fixture because of his suspension.
After that, the Italian will have a decision to make, though against significantly weaker opposition it should be easy to deploy all three.
Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer undroppable
Maresca will find a way to include Palmer, Caicedo and Fernandez in the same XI in Chelsea’s biggest games this season. He has in the past.
If one does have to be dropped, though, then it will have to be Fernandez. For as good as the Argentine has been this term, Caicedo and Palmer are irreplaceable.
Chelsea’s midfield would crumble without Caicedo’s power and energy, while Palmer was the heartbeat of the team’s attack before his injury woes.
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