Cole Palmer’s recent groin issue is unlikely to be the result of any Club World Cup ‘hangover’ with Chelsea thought to be managing an existing issue with their talisman.
There was concern for the England international last Friday when he was forced to pull out of the starting XI shortly before kick-off ahead of the Premier League clash with West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Brazilian youngster Estevao Willian replaced him in the team with Joao Pedro dropping into a deeper role as the Blues eased to a 5-1 victory.
Palmer was not pictured in training earlier this week although there has been hope he will be available again for this weekend’s west London derby with Fulham.
He was one of four Blues players to rack up more than 4,000 minutes of playing time alongside Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez last season as part of a draining campaign that began with Europa Conference League play-offs and ended with Club World Cup glory – the latter coming just 34 days before the start of the new season.
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Speaking after the win over West Ham, Maresca revealed Palmer played through the pain against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season before he was withdrawn from the win over the Hammers as a precaution.
Maresca will provide a further update on Palmer at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. But Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics working with the Premier League, believes Palmer’s issue is one that is being carefully managed by his club.
‘It is an ongoing thing with Palmer they appear to be managing,’ Smith told Metro. ‘The fact he was able to go out and warm up [before the West Ham game] and felt it there, I think what you are seeing there is a very conservative and mature approach to managing a very valuable asset.
‘We know all the staff at Chelsea are absolutely world class, so what you are seeing there is the strength in their beliefs and processes come to a fore. I wouldn’t be too concerned, I imagine he is being very well looked after.’
Manchester City’s early exit from the Club World Cup saw Pep Guardiola share his grave fears over the repercussions the tournament will have on his players this season.
‘Maybe in November, December or January it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us,’ Guardiola said.
Chelsea’s goalless draw with Palace in their opening match fuelled fears that Maresca’s side are feeling the affects of last season’s draining campaign.
But talk of a prolonged hangover is wide of the mark, according to Smith.
”Everyone will be suggesting things like that. But then why are people like Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, who played more games, not laid up injured?’ Smith said.
‘The easy thing to do is say this is because of the Club World Cup or fixture congestion in general. But is a complex matter. It isn’t about how much they are playing, it is about how much they are training, how often they are training, the intensity of their training and their recovery.
‘It is a multi-faceted problem. So to try and simplify it a hangover form the Club World Cup is probably a little bit ignorant.’
