Chelsea 'cannot rely' on Palmer every game - Maresca
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Enzo Maresca has warned against putting too much pressure on Cole Palmer to end his goal drought.
The 22-year-old, who is yet to play in Europe for Chelsea, has failed to net across his last seven games.
He has still scored 14 times for the club this season, although a dozen of them came before the turn of the year.
Maresca exclusively told TNT Sports: "He's doing well. I said at the beginning of the season that we cannot rely on Cole for every game. He's a human being.
"He's going to go through moments where he's not scoring goals. But in the end, the most important thing is that he enjoys football."
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'They are all important'
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The manager also said Chelsea will not be prioritising one competition over another between now and the end of the season.
The Blues are the overwhelming favourites to win the Conference League, but they also have a fight on their hands for a place in the top four domestically.
The London club have not featured in the Champions League in the last two seasons, so returning to that competition might have taken precedence.
Maresca said that each of their remaining matches can "define" their campaign.
"From now on, I think every game, Premier League games or Conference League games, they are all important," he said.
"They can define the final part of the season, so it was good to get the three points, and hopefully we can get more wins."
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Chelsea have breezed into the last 16 of the Conference League after winning each of their six matches so far, topping the league phase in the process.
But their form domestically has not been quite as strong, with a 4-0 victory over Southampton last time out ending a run of two successes in 10 top-flight outings.
That fixture was over a week ago, with The Blues' FA Cup fourth round defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion meaning they were without a game last weekend.
That, Maresca believes, was a good thing, as they prepare for the first leg of their last-16 tie in Denmark.
"We feel better, for sure," he continued. "We had some days off, so we could recover the energy that in this moment of the season is very important.
"Hopefully we can be ready for the game. \[Copenhagen\] are a very good team. I watched their games in the Conference League and in the league; they don't change the way they want to play.
"They try to control the game and to dominate. The environment will be fantastic. We need to be ready.
"Tomorrow, I have the feeling that a different competition will start, in terms of, from now on, you will see Copenhagen tomorrow and next week at home, it's a completely different game to the group stage."
One man who will surely have an important role to play over the remainder of the season is Pedro Neto.
The Portuguese has only scored five goals since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer.
One of those came against Southampton, when he was pushed into a more advanced centre forward position.
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With Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke both out injured, Neto is likely to continue in that role.
Maresca stopped short of stating whether he has a long-term future as a striker, but is pleased with the impact the 24-year-old has had so far.
"Unfortunately, on the deadline, we had two strikers injured in the same game," he said.
"We tried to find a different solution and Pedro in this moment is helping us. In this moment, he's in that role, he's doing well, and then we will see."
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