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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca explains why Cole Palmer was dropped from their Conference League squad.
Cole Palmer has been Chelsea's best player since he joined from Manchester City in the summer of 2023, leading the club in goal contributions, and winning last season’s PFA Young Player Award.
He has continued the heroics this season, recently setting a Premier League record by scoring four goals in one half in the 5-2 demolition of Brighton to take his season tally to six goals and four assists in six games.
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18:47 - 01.10.2024
'Chelsea will hurt themselves’ - Former Arsenal star warns Enzo Maresca
The Blues have been admonished for trying to copy Manchester City and Arsenal.
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22:58 - 01.10.2024
Ex-Chelsea target reveals Super Eagles approach and snub before Olympics
The former Atletico Madrid star was keen to point out that he rejected an approach to play for Nigeria's Super Eagles
Hence, it surprised many when he was dropped from Chelsea's UECL League-Phase squad and, consequently, will not be in the team for the square-up against Belgian giants Gent.
Chelsea's Conference League journey
Despite finishing sixth last season, thanks to their resurgent second-half of the season, inspired chiefly by Palmer, Chelsea were doomed to play in Europe's third-tier competition after Manchester United beat their cross-town rivals to the FA Cup, effectively booking automatic qualification for the Europa League and deposing Chelsea.
The Blues had to go through Swiss side Servette in the playoffs to book their place in the competition; barely scraping past them in a 3-2 aggregate win, a feat they achieved without Palmer.
With six league games in the first phase of the new look Conference League, Chelsea will have to play Gent (H), Heindenheim (A), Astana (A), Shamrock Rovers (H), Panathinaikos (A) and Noah (H) in their bid to become the first-ever team to win the three tiers of European club football.
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What Maresca said
Chelsea will have to navigate the first phase of the competition without their talisman, a risky proposition. Still, Maresca is confident they can scale through, as he explained that they had to protect the England international given the clogged fixture schedule.
“We played some games without Cole, but sure and for us, Cole is something extra that you need,” Maresca told reporters. “We also need to think a bit to protect some players. They need that. There is a reason behind it and I think Cole needs to be protected."
It remains to be seen if Palmer will feature in the knockout stage should Chelsea make it to that point as the two-time Champions League winners will get another opportunity to send a new squad list to UEFA after the January transfer window.
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