Chelsea fans were fearing the worst before their side even kicked off at the weekend when they took on Arsenal at the Emirates stadium.
As the teamsheets emerged, a very obvious absentee in the form of Cole Palmer was notable for the away side, missing his first game due to injury of the season.
There have been a number of moments where the star man has been a doubt for a fixture due to fitness concerns, notably after a terrible Lisandro Martinez challenge against Manchester United.
However, this was the first time they were forced to play without him in a Premier League game, and this saw any form of creativity completely disappear.
The Blues managed just two shots on target, despite Mikel Arteta’s claims Chelsea have the best attack in the league.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Cole Palmer actually got injured during Chelsea vs Copenhagen
It was claimed after the game that Palmer had sustained a problem in training before the London derby, meaning he wouldn’t be able to feature and was likely not going to represent England during the international break.
However, Simon Phillips has stated that the issue actually stems back to the Conference League game against Copenhagen, a game he came on at half-time due to the Blues struggling to get the job done.
He said on his Substack: “The issue as we understand from top SPTC sources is that Palmer has muscle fatigue in his hamstring and it has been feeling tight.
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“It was reported yesterday that Palmer picked up the injury in training on Saturday and not in the game against Copenhagen where he was bought on at half time as The Blues struggled against their opposition.
“This is incorrect. SPTC Sources have confirmed that Palmer first felt the pain when he came on against Copenhagen. However, he only felt it in the first couple of minutes of coming on and didn’t feel it again throughout the game so continued to play. After the game he felt it become a bit tight again.
“Palmer then missed the gym session the day after and then felt the same pain in training on Saturday. The decision was then made to pull him from the squad and arrange a scan.”
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea’s ongoing injury problems
As well as no Palmer, the Blues were missing Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, who make up the best possible attack for Chelsea based on their numbers this season.
Maresca claimed that both Jackson and Madueke would return after the break, meaning they could be available for what is set to be a huge run of fixtures before the end of the season.
Despite still sitting fourth in the league, there are so many teams in the race to qualify for the Champions League, and they will be under pressure to deliver what many see as the minimum requirement for this season.