Enzo Maresca warned his Chelsea players they cannot rely on Cole Palmer to “solve all our problems” as they prepare for a gruelling run of Premier League fixtures, beginning with Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool.
Following the game at Anfield, in which the head coach will be without suspended pair Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana in defence, the Blues play Newcastle at home in the league before travelling to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Arsenal then visit Stamford Bridge to round off a three-week spell in which the potential in evidence during Maresca’s first seven games will receive a thorough inspection, with the team’s top-four credentials put to the test.
Chelsea sit fourth in the league and Palmer has been key to their fine start, hitting six goals in seven games including a four-goal haul against Brighton that made history when he became the first Premier League player to score four in the first half.
However, with enviable strength in depth available to Maresca, who has alternated between a different XI for league and cup matches without impacting the team’s fluency or consistency, he urged against looking to Palmer to do it all.
“If we think that Cole is going to solve all our problems, it’s a big mistake,” he said. “We put all the pressure on his shoulders and that is wrong.”
The manager pointed to the contributions of Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Enzo Fernández. “We have Cole but we have many players that are doing well,” he said. “It’s not just about Cole, it’s about all the squad.”
With seven goals, Nkunku is the team’s top scorer this season but only one has come in the league – the winner in last month’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth. Madueke, who scored a hat-trick against Wolves in August has five in all competitions while Jackson has four.
Victory at Anfield would be Chelsea’s first since March 2021 and would see them move to within a point of Arne Slot’s team, who lead the way after seven games.
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Manchester City, who won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on the opening Sunday, and Arsenal are each three clear of Maresca’s side going into the weekend, though the Italian has previously said he does not believe his team are ready to challenge last season’s top three – a point he reiterated ahead of Chelsea’s trip north.
“I don’t see in this moment Chelsea being close to these kind of clubs, for many reasons,” he said. “But for sure we work every day to be close, knowing it requires us to work together day by day, time to approach and go close.
“The only way to try to be close is just to be focused on the things we need to improve. To think where we can to be in four games, it’s a bit difficult. The only thing I can say is that we want to try to do our best Sunday.”