Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has named his starting XI to play Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this afternoon. Cole Palmer is back in the lineup. After losing to Leeds United in the middle of the week, the Blues want to get back on track right away.
Robert Sanchez is in goal, and Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella are in front of him. Enzo Fernandez and club captain Reece James are back in the midfield to fill in for the suspended Moises Caicedo and help the team get back on track.
Maresca has assembled a strong quartet in the attacking third. Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are on the wings, and Palmer is back in the No. 10 spot. Summer signing Liam Delap is in charge of the line, and he has been chosen over Joao Pedro for this critical Premier League match.
Also, Maresca’s choice to start Liam Delap shows that he wants a more physical presence in the box. Delap, who came from Ipswich Town in the summer, is different from Joao Pedro because he can hold up the ball and get the creative midfielders involved.
Delap will want to show that he can be the clinical finisher Chelsea needs to get a crucial away win, with Palmer pulling the strings behind him.
The biggest news is that Palmer is back in the starting lineup. This is his first start since mid-September, when he had been out for a long time. He came off the bench in the 3-1 loss to Leeds, but now he is considered fit enough to have an impact from the start of the game.
Maresca has made significant changes to the team that lost at Elland Road. Fofana and James are back, bringing substantial experience. The Italian manager will hope this new lineup can take advantage of a Bournemouth team that is struggling right now, having lost the last two league games against Sunderland and Everton.
Chelsea are currently in third place in the table, so they need three points to stay in the title race and close the gap on the leaders. The return of key players like Palmer and James could be what they need to get their domestic campaign back on track.
Cole Palmer returns for Chelsea
Cole Palmer’s return to the starting XI gives Chelsea an enormous mental and tactical boost. His creativity was sorely missed during the team’s recent loss at Leeds after he had been out of the starting lineup for 74 days.
Palmer’s ability to break down defenses will be crucial against Bournemouth, who might try to sit back and make things complicated for the visitors. His ability to work with Neto and Garnacho will add a new level to the Blues’ attack, which has sometimes looked disjointed without him.