Behind the scenes information on Cole Palmer's fitness before substitution in Man United 2-1 Chelsea - journalist
Chelsea’s star man Cole Palmer was victim of an early substitution as the Blues scattered for solutions in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Robert Sanchez was rightfully sent off for a crazy foul in the first five minutes, leaving Enzo Maresca a near-impossible task to try and rescue a positive result.
He decided to immediately sub off Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto, however a few minutes later also substituted Palmer, when they were already trailing the game.
It emerged that Palmer was struggling with an injury at the time, something that was confirmed by the manager at the end of the game.
Cole Palmer injury details revealed after early substitution vs Man United
The England international was struggling with injury at the end of the defeat to Bayern Munich, despite his excellent performance on the day.
Now, journalist Simon Phillips has revealed that Palmer had hardly trained in the days leading up to the United game due to his ongoing groin issue.
He said: “I’ve just been told Cole Palmer ‘barely trained’ all week and has been having more treatment on his groin as well. Where is this strength in depth we have all been hearing about?“
Maresca said after the game that it had been Palmer’s choice to take part in the game, however with a long season both domestically and in Europe to come, no chances were taken in the end.
Maresca not making the most of his depth
Nearly £100m of new signings in the form of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens did not come onto the pitch despite the Blues getting back into the game following Casemiro’s red card.
If Palmer was struggling too, it remains a question why the boss decided not to name Facundo Buonanotte on the bench, who looks the most natural replacement for him in the system.
The thinking amongst many is that the Argentine is almost certainly going to start on Tuesday night against Lincoln in the EFL Cup, with Palmer set for a well-deserved rest.
However, there will remain questions of Maresca’s squad selection and substitutions in this game, especially as the Blues came close to getting back into the game late on.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/v8wgxkN
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