Maresca could drop Palmer by unleashing Chelsea "superstar" in new role

It’s fair to say Chelsea are underperforming in Enzo Maresca’s system at the moment, but having reached the Conference League semi-finals while sitting inside the Premier League’s top qualification zone, it’s all to fight for over the business weeks of the campaign.

Finishing inside the top five should provide a route into next year’s Champions League, and with the Blues sat in seventh place, four points behind Manchester City, it’s crucial that Fulham are beaten at Craven Cottage this afternoon.

The problem, of course, is that Chelsea haven’t won any of their past nine domestic matches on the road, with the Cottagers losing only four of their 16 matches at home in the top flight this term.

Maresca fielded a surprisingly strong line-up against Legia Warsaw on Thursday, losing 2-1 on the evening but prevailing on aggregate.

It won’t be easy, but the Blues simply have to see themselves over the line in this one.

Chelsea team news

Maresca confirmed during his pre-match press conference that Romeo Lavia is available for selection after returning from injury and should be involved.

Wesley Fofana, Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman remain long-term absentees, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is still unavailable.

Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke were benched for the quarter-final tie, but Jadon Sancho did pick up an assist for Marc Cucurella’s goal and may fancy another shot at the wide flank against a stable Fulham defence.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo were both excluded from the matchday squad on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s fixture, and with both ready and raring, Maresca may want to make a bold move and drop Cole Palmer for the second time in four Premier League matches.

Why Maresca could drop Palmer

It’s been 15 matches across all competitions since Palmer last found the back of the net. Unquestionably, he’s one of Europe’s superlative attacking midfielders, but equally, he’s well below his best at the moment.

Last season, the 22-year-old was untouchable, matchless in his breezy, Midas touch style in front of goal. Now, he cuts a frustrated figure as chances go begging and fluency looks absent.

The sun will shine again on the England international, who Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher declared “the best player in the Premier League” back in October, having started the term with such panache. Still, he’s got 14 goals and nine assists across 31 appearances, hardly a tally to be sniffed at.

Palmer has maintained an impressive creative level in the Premier League, still showcasing those arresting attributes that have earned him such lofty acclaim.

As per Sofascore, the rangy midfielder averages 2.5 key passes per league game (more than last year’s 2.1 averages per game), winning 56% of his ground duels and creating 20 big chances besides.

However, there’s another playmaking gem who could be unleashed in a fresh role later today. With Lavia combining so well with Caicedo in the early knockings of the season, Maresca may well look to shake things up here.

How Maresca could replace Palmer

It could do Palmer some good to take a seat against Marco Silva’s Fulham, fuelling him to make a positive impact when introduced in the second half.

Chelsea don’t have an abundance of central attacking midfielders, and while Neto could play the role well off Jackson’s back, it’s Fernandez who should be allowed to shift forwards into Palmer’s realm.

Fernandez has been through the emotions since becoming English football’s most expensive player of all time in February 2023, leaving Benfica in a deal worth £107m. He was regarded as a “superstar” by journalist Roy Nemer, and is beginning to prove such praise despite his team’s struggles.

The 24-year-old has come on leaps and bounds with his timing and movement in the danger area, bounding into space and using his feet or head to fire home.

Principally from a deeper-lying role, this is quite impressive, especially when doubling that with the fact that he’s one of the Premier League’s most creative players right now.

To add context to this: during March, no player across England’s top division created more big chances than Fernandez’s eight, the Argentine thriving in his influential central berth.

As per FBref, the 5 foot 10 midfielder ranks among the top 14% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for goal involvements, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for passes attempted and the top 11% for progressive passes per 90.

Clearly, he has the properties to play a more advanced role, and Maresca’s not afraid to give him a shot. Four times already in 2024/25, Fernandez has featured as the number ten, scoring one goal and registering one assist.

He’s not one to shirk away from defensive responsibilities either, winning 4.4 duels and recovering 4.3 balls per game so far. Fielding him ahead of Caicedo and Lavia might compact Chelsea’s midfield while retaining the playmaking spark that Palmer provides with such aplomb, even when things aren’t going his way.

It bears testament to Chelsea’s strength in depth that such a scenario is even a possibility, and it might just be one that Maresca wants to enforce to keep his players on their toes and take Palmer out of the firing line.

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