Enzo Maresca says not even Cole Palmer is undroppable
Even Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer isn't immune from dropping out of Enzo Maresca's team, the Italian has insisted ahead of the the Blues' festive fixtures.
Palmer, 22, has been a revelation since swapping Manchester City for Chelsea last summer. The attacking midfielder has racked up 50 goal contributions in 50 Premier League games and has played a major role in the Londoners' rise up the table this term.
After enjoying a dream maiden season at Stamford Bridge last year, Palmer has been doubled up on this time around as teams bid to stifle his influence.
Maresca says the onus is on Palmer to adapt to that before admitting that nobody is safe from rotation in the Premier League - even him. "He still has to improve things in those moments," the Chelsea chief said.
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"Especially because if you get frustrated, you lose your focus on the game. For sure, game after game, he’s going to understand more about when they mark him man-to-man, how to move.
"We already protected him in the Conference League which is why he was not in the squad. That is why he always starts in the Premier League.
"[Wesley] Fofana was always starting in the Premier League because he didn’t play in the Conference and [Romeo] Lavia is the same. But this does not mean they are always going to play."
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Palmer has established himself as one of the Premier League's best players since joining Chelsea
With Palmer leading the way, Chelsea have emerged as unlikely title contenders and spent Christmas second in the Premier League table with just Liverpool ahead of them at the summit.
The Blues have 35 points - four fewer than Liverpool - heading into the festive fixtures. But despite the fact Chelsea will have ample opportunity to eat into that deficit in the coming days, Maresca isn't budging when he says the Blues are not in the title race.
"We are ahead of our expectation in terms of the way we are playing and points. For us, the main focus is to see how we can improve the players and how we can improve the team," Maresca told reporters.
"It's the reality for me, not about the pressure (of going for the title). I would like that kind of pressure. I say we are not there because that is the reality for me. The main point is to continue to improve and to win games."
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