Since his injury against Manchester United (1-2) on September 20, Cole Palmer has still not returned to the pitch. The English attacking midfielder had been the victim of a groin problem and, more recently, a broken toe after a domestic accident, which should prolong his unavailability.
In this context, Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca can savor even more the success obtained this Saturday afternoon at Burnley (2-0), won without his star. Thanks to the achievements of Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández, the Blues have temporarily regained second place in the standings, three lengths from Arsenal, current leader.
Chelsea win, but Maresca warns
But despite this result, Maresca does not minimize the weight of Palmer’s package. The Italian technician even went so far as to compare the influence of his number 10 to that of the stars of Manchester City or Liverpool.
“I’m very proud of the team that performed without Palmer… Because for us, Cole is like Haaland for Manchester City, or Salah for Liverpool. And I imagine if Haaland doesn’t play for City or Salah for Liverpool, they’re no longer the same teams.”he explained at a press conference.
