The England pair share the same 'cold' celebration and when asked by Sky Sports whether he'd prefer an in-form Rogers over Palmer in his side, Maresca was candid in response. "No. Because I love Cole, and Cole is my player," the Blues boss said in Wednesday's press conference.
However, when asked whether it would be too simplistic to determine whether Chelsea's welcome of Villa could come down to which player brings their A-game, the Blues boss said: "No, they are two fantastic players. For sure, they are going to be important during the game. But I think both players, they need the other 10 around them to support them and to help them to do the right things. For sure, it's about Morgan, it's about Cole, but it’s also about the teams."
And when pushed on whether Palmer is ready to play the full 90 minutes, Maresca replied: "The progression for a player is 45 (minutes), 60, 70. The progression is there."
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