Cole Palmer fit after England scare but Maresca will continue to ‘protect’ Chelsea’s Ballon d’Or nominee | OneFootball

Many eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that Chelsea forward Cole Palmer made the 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Whether it was deserved or not is a question for another day. His inclusion rather bewildered some observers due to a lack of European action last term, notably making the list while not playing a single minute of Champions League football, which is a rarity in the modern era.

But that’s not to say it doesn’t happen. For example, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez finished 15th in the 2023 Ballon d’Or standings, although his inclusion was primarily based on helping Argentina win their third World Cup title.

If anything, it goes to show the Premier League’s power. Last season was Palmer’s breakthrough in England’s top division. Having made his debut at 18, he has amassed 55 appearances in England’s top flight, with the bulk (33) coming last term when he left his boyhood club, Manchester City, for Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, since the start of last season, only Nicolas Jackson, Moisés Caicedo (both 38), and Conor Gallagher (37) have played more Premier League games than Palmer (36) in a Chelsea shirt, and it’s the same concerning minutes accumulated.

Having the Mancunian on the pitch has made a difference for the Blues, as no one representing the West London club has registered more goals (23) and assists (15) during that period. In fact, across the league, only the indomitable Erling Haaland (34) bests his former City teammate in the former, while no one tops Palmer regarding the latter.

When combining both, Haaland leads the Premier League since the 2023/24 season kicked off in terms of goal involvement (39), with Palmer one behind. A key contributing factor last term was Chelsea’s lack of European football, meaning they effectively played one game per week, aside from when the domestic cup matches came along. The Blues went deep in both, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals and finishing as runners-up in the EFL Cup.

Enzo Maresca ‘protecting’ Chelsea star Cole Palmer after ‘very busy year’

Palmer, though, will have to wait before playing in a Uefa-sanctioned club tournament, as Chelsea omitted him from their squad to contest the Conference League group phase. As it turns out, the decision by head coach Enzo Maresca will not have been unilateral, and there’s a reason, namely the volume of work undertaken by the 22-year-old, which could have severe consequences if not managed properly from the start.

History is littered with young footballers playing more than their developing bodies are ready for, leading to problems arising further down the road. Understandably, with Palmer having made only 14 league appearances in the span of three seasons (totalling 490 minutes) before relocating to Britain’s capital, he’s still in that early phase, and the last thing Chelsea want is to overload their talisman, who left Lee Carsley’s first England squad with muscle fatigue.

Thankfully, Palmer has been seen back in full training and should be available for Chelsea’s visit to Bournemouth on Saturday night, but Maresca is clearly aware of the delicacies that come with handling young players.

“He had a very busy last year, from City to here, playing many games, then he didn’t come with us on pre-season because he finished quite late [because of Euro 2024],” Maresca told reporters when explaining his decision to leave Palmer out of his Conference League squad. “We are trying to protect the players and give them the right minutes at the right moment.”

Unsurprisingly, with the club’s American influence, they have taken a page from a US sports playbook: load management. This is when a healthy player is held out of playing a game for rest or precautionary reasons to avoid long-term fatigue and injuries. However, typically, coaches do not single-handedly make these decisions.

But when looking ahead, you can understand why they’ve decided to embark on this path. Chelsea are strategising for the 2024/25 season, during which they will compete in five competitions and might have a packed schedule extending into July because of their involvement in Fifa’s first expanded Club World Cup in the United States. If they do well, they may play between 75 and 80 games, putting much pressure on their key players.

Apart from Palmer, defenders Wesley Fofana and midfielder Romeo Lavia are not part of the 27-player list submitted to Uefa for the Conference League group phase. Fofana missed the entire 2023-24 season due to a lengthy recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, while Lavia only played 33 minutes in his debut Chelsea season in the Premier League due to a series of injuries. Palmer’s sensational breakthrough, which earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad where he scored in the final defeat to Spain, came at the cost of a shortened summer break and pre-season.

Should they advance beyond the group stage, Chelsea will have an opportunity to make three changes to their Conference League squad before the knockout games begin. However, it’s fair to assume Uefa’s third-tier competition is not high on the club’s list of sporting priorities.

But if they decide they want to give themselves the best possible chance of lifting the trophy in Wrocław next May and completing their impressive collection (becoming the first club to win all five of Uefa’s historical club prizes), they can get Palmer, Fofana, and Lavia onto the list in time for the business end of the competition.

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