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'I don't think they are random' - Maresca concerned about injuriespublished at 13:04 BST 22 September
13:04 BST 22 September
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was unable to give much clarity on star forward Cole Palmer's ongoing injury issues when he spoke to the media on Monday.
The club is managing them on a "day-to-day" basis, according to Maresca, but when you have to take off Palmer at Old Trafford while a goal down - after just 21 minutes - then it is becoming a problem.
The Blues rank second in the Premier League's injury table, with seven out on either a short-term or long-term basis.
You could sense from the Italian's news conference that there is broader concern about injuries, not only on the seven unavailable, but also how it impacts those who are playing.
Maresca said: "It is a situation we need to manage because if we have Moi [Caicedo] with a small problem and, for instance, Romeo [Lavia] is fit, we can decide - or if Dario Essugo was fit, we can decide to give Moi some rest.
"But, in this moment, Dario is injured and Romeo is injured. We are in a new situation for us because of the Club World Cup, so we don't know how this season will be in terms of injury.
"I don't think the amount of injuries we have is random. We need to try to learn and manage the situation."
Maresca is likely to give some Chelsea academy players a chance against League One Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday.
Defender Benoit Badiashile and midfielder Lavia are not quite ready to return.
Maresca on Palmer, managing injuries and fearing cup slip-upspublished at 11:41 BST 22 September
11:41 BST 22 September
Katie Stafford BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Carabao Cup game against Lincoln City at LNER Stadium (kick-off 19:45 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Cole Palmer is the only injury concern, with Maresca adding they need to take it day by day "to assess him a little bit".
Maresca says "the medical staff didn't mention surgery" when they briefed him on Palmer's groin injury earlier on Monday.
Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia trained on Sunday, which Maresca described as "good news" before adding that they "are not back yet".
He said Saturday's defeat at Manchester United "was dictated from the red card" and "it is difficult for any club in the world" to turn the game around when you lose a man after four minutes.
On whether he sees Chelsea as title contenders this season: "We improved a lot last season. If you see the table in the last year, we closed the gap. We will try to continue to improve. This is our main focus for this season."
He said he does not think the volume of injuries are "random" and, after limited downtime because of the Club World Cup, it is a situation they "need to manage".
On League One opponents Lincoln: "These are the games that worry me the most because you can slip very easily. I am very worried about that."
Rateesh: Manchester United can't catch a break from all these criticisms - win or lose. Today, the players worked hard and fought for the team until the very end. No one seems to care about it or even mention it.
Ron: Ruben Amorim is showing dedication to the monumental task of turning Man Utd in the right direction while in the unforgiving spotlight of the Premier League. Casemiro very naive for such an experienced player.
Steve; Only a week ago, I was Amorim out but after this win and seeing we are three points off second - what a difference a result makes. This doesn't paper over the fact that we still made silly mistakes but no-one can question the commitment to the cause of the players and that surely can only produce more positive results in the next games. Matthijs de Ligt by the way is a monster of a player and very underrated. Excellent again.
Andrew: The conditions made this match a bit of a farce. It wasn't helped by some questionable refereeing either. That aside, what about United's performance? Yet again, they blew hot and cold. The system clearly doesn't work and this match with early dismissals and enforced changes didn't give any indication of progress. Defensively they did OK but the manager consistently changes the back four and the midfield is too easy to play through. This team, under this manager and with this system, is going nowhere. If you want a fairer comparison, then look at Tottenham under Thomas Frank.
Chelsea fans
David: Another costly error from Robert Sanchez and then very poor substitutions by Enzo Maresca. If he knew Cole Palmer was not fully fit why not take him off first at least we would have had an attack. Lincoln City must fancy their chances.
Chris: If you can't beat a hapless team like Man Utd, you know you are in big trouble. Once again, Sanchez left us in the lurch and then Maresca sacrifices probably our most creative player in Estevao Willian because of the red card! The whole defence were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and didn't get much better. Reece James is a shadow of the player he used to be and all in all Chelsea are in a bad place at present with a manager that doesn't seem to have a clue when the chips are down!
Timo: Bizarre decisions everywhere. A goalkeeper problem compounded by a manager's panicky reaction. The lack of authority and maturity was laid bare. Too much method - insufficient savvy.
Nevlar: Garbage. Pedestrian and lacking in any creativity except with a touch of desperation before the end. United there for the taking and we had no clue.
Gossip: Chelsea renew interest in Maignanpublished at 06:41 BST 22 September
06:41 BST 22 September
France and AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 30, could be on Chelsea's transfer agenda again in the next window following 27-year-old Spaniard Robert Sanchez's performance against Manchester United. He is free to sign a pre-contract agreement in January as his current deal expires next summer, and was wanted by the Blues in the summer. (Express), external
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all interested in signing 28-year-old Juventus and Brazil defender Gleison Bremer. (Teamtalk), external
How Maresca handled his squad through Champions League returnpublished at 12:30 BST 21 September
12:30 BST 21 September
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
All but two players were used by Maresca but only 16 started across three away matches
Chelsea's first week back in the Champions League told us a lot about how manager Enzo Maresca will handle his squad this season.
While in the Conference League last year, the Italian effectively opted for an A and B team, with two different elevens playing in domestic and European football.
However, Chelsea are back in the top tier of Europe for the first time in over two years and faced a challenging week with trips to Brentford, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah were the only two players to be involved in every minute (270 plus added time) of the last two matches.
Tosin Adarabioyo ranks the next highest by missing only the first four minutes of defeat at United, while Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez and Rob Sanchez started all three matches. Cole Palmer likely played as many minutes as he was physically capable before succumbing to a recurrence of a groin injury at United.
Meanwhile, a middle class of players emerged. Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana and Estevao Willian all earned starts. Tyrique George, Alejandro Garnacho and Andrey Santos each got two substitute appearances.
Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato started against Brentford but all came off around the half time mark in response to a poor first half performance while a goal down. They were unused substitutes in the following two matches.
Striker Marc Guiu and defender Josh Acheampong were the only two players not to play a single minute across three games. Remarkably, Guiu is cup-tied for the upcoming trip to Lincoln City having been recalled from Sunderland on deadline day.
This was a window into who Maresca trusts with long-term injuries Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo before he is expected to ring the changes for the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea: What Maresca and Chalobah saidpublished at 20:16 BST 20 September
20:16 BST 20 September
Media caption,
Enzo Maresca spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Chelsea's defeat against Manchester United: The red card changed the game after three minutes.
"After the red card for them, 10 v 10, it changed the game for us. We needed to start in a better way.
"It's a red card. [We should have had] a penalty for Joao."
On his subs: "They attack with five players so the idea was to defend with five players. You can defend with four at 11 v 11. The game probably changed after they conceded the red card also with Casemiro. We were much better.
"Cole this morning did a test to play this game. He was not 100%. It was a fantastic effort for the club, for his team-mates, for the team. Unfortunately he was not 100%.
"We need to start the game better. We cannot concede a red card at Old Trafford after three minutes."
Trevor Chalboah spoke to Sky Sports after the loss at Old Trafford: "It wasn't good enough from us as a club, the first 15 minutes was the worst we have played all season. We struggled in the first half."
On playing with 10 men: "Always difficult going to 10 men down. United were up for it and they put us under pressure. We have played in the Premier League long enough now so we just have to learn from this and move forward. Whether it is 10 men each, it is always difficult from 2-0 down. We need to reflect over not starting well and we need to raise our standards as a collective."
Did you know?
Chelsea are winless in their last 13 Premier League away games against Manchester United (seven draws, six losses), against no other side have they ever been on a longer such run on the road in the competition.
Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah has scored two goals in his last four Premier League games. Indeed, no other defender has netted more goals in the competition since the start of last season than Chalobah (five).
Sutton's predictions: Man Utd v Chelseapublished at 11:04 BST 20 September
11:04 BST 20 September
It was fascinating to hear Paul Scholes talk about Manchester United's midfield on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. He was saying that the players are not good enough in that central area.
I backed Ruben Amorim last season when he stuck to his system, because he hadn't had the chance to bring his own players in, but he has had that chance now and they still can't get results.
United are arguably the biggest club in the world with a wonderful history of winning things, especially in the Premier League. The onus on them is not just to win every week, but to do it in a certain way - with panache and playing great attacking football.
The system Amorim plays in his 3-4-3 formation is OK if you're winning or playing scintillating football but, at the moment, United are doing neither. They have had a fair bit of possession in some of their games, but what are they doing with it?
I really like Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, but eventually United will need to win games to give their fans something to cling on to.
As Scholes said, their ambition at the moment is just to get into the top half. I'm sorry but Amorim needs to give their supporters a bit more than that.
Where United are fortunate is that they have had a week off since losing the Manchester derby, while Chelsea were beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
It is a massive plus for United that they don't have European football this season. You can't moan about having less games and that should give them the physical advantage here.
Even so, how can you put together a case for United winning this game? I just can't.
Chelsea are not the finished article either, but they are playing some good stuff. They have also got Cole Palmer firing again and he will make the difference.
Man Utd v Chelsea: key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:34 BST 19 September
18:34 BST 19 September
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Manchester United host Chelsea on Saturday aiming to arrest a run of just two wins in 13 league matches.
Chelsea's nine-game unbeaten run was ended in the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, but the Blues are so far unbeaten domestically.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of the meeting at Old Trafford.
Groundhog Day for Manchester United
"Manchester United just have to try to get into the top half," were the words of former midfielder Paul Scholes earlier this week.
If such fatalism feels a little premature only a month into the season, United fans could be forgiven for feeling trapped in their very own version of Groundhog Day.
The Reds have recorded just two victories from their past 13 top-flight matches and produced another lacklustre display in Sunday's 3-0 loss to neighbours Manchester City.
Club sources insist that on most statistics United are performing better than last season, despite sitting in 14th place. It remains a hard sell for fans who have witnessed the club's poorest start to a league campaign since 1992, accumulating just four points from four matches.
It follows a 2024-25 campaign in which United amassed their lowest top-flight points total since being relegated more than 50 years ago.
Manager Ruben Amorim remains open and honest in the face of increasing criticism but the former Sporting boss now has the second-worst win percentage of any manager in United's league history.
Image caption,
Only one manager has won a lower percentage of matches in charge of Manchester United than Ruben Amorim in the club's league history
Home comforts
The likeliest place for a corner to be turned remains Old Trafford.
Despite scoring only five times, the Red Devils have had 94 shots in their past four home Premier League games, attempting at least 20 in every game. Only Manchester City have a higher expected goals tally this season.
Amorim may also be boosted by the prospect of facing Saturday's opponents. United are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Chelsea (W5, D7), since a 1-0 defeat 12 years ago.
Chelsea's Premier League win rate of 18% at Old Trafford is their lowest at any side they have visited at least 10 times in the competition.
The importance of Palmer
The Blues' 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday ended their nine-game unbeaten run, although there were plenty of encouraging signs for Blues boss Enzo Maresca, not least another good performance from Cole Palmer on his 100th appearance for the club.
The 23-year-old scored a well-taken goal to briefly give his side hope and also had a late effort ruled out for offside.
Palmer made his return from a groin issue in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brentford, in which he scored his first league goal from open play since January.
Ensuring the talented Englishman is fit and firing will be crucial to Chelsea's hopes this season. He has been directly involved in 73 goals since his Blues debut two years ago, a record bettered by only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah among Premier League players.
Image caption,
Cole Palmer is one of the Premier League's most effective attacking players
The Italian explained that his father's 50 years of working long days was a sadder situation than training separately from the first-team group.
Wearing an orange jumper, he noted that the concept of a so-called 'bomb squad' is not new and occurs at clubs worldwide.
He also put the 3-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena into perspective, citing Bayern's strong Champions League pedigree.
However, fans may be most concerned about his mention of unspecified fitness concerns for the upcoming Manchester United match, as the team only returned to London from Munich on Thursday.
Winger Alejandro Garnacho is expected to be involved and his return to Old Trafford on Saturday was discussed.
Maresca on Palmer's fitness, Garnacho's return and Man Utdpublished at 11:10 BST 19 September
11:10 BST 19 September
Nat Hayward BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (16:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Maresca said Cole Palmer is "OK" after holding his groin late on in Wednesday's Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich.
On the fitness of the rest of his squad: "We flew back yesterday and have a session now so we need to assess some of the players. There are some doubts but we haven't done any sessions after Wednesday's game so we will see after."
Reflecting on the defeat in Munich, Maresca said: "Wednesday's game is a normal game in terms of the Champions League. We knew it would be a tough game - we tried our best. For periods we were very good but there are things to improve."
On news that the Professional Footballers' Association is in talks with Chelsea over their handling of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi: "I've been in Raheem and Axel's situation as a player and for sure I know it is not the best feeling. For different reasons, the situation is the situation. The club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and that is all I can say. It's not just Chelsea - it's every club in the world."
On whether he is concerned for their wellbeing: "My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working for 2 o'clock in the morning and 10 o'clock in the morning. This is sad in life, not real, the way they work."
On the impact of Alejandro Garnacho before he returns to Manchester United: "In the past two games, he was very good. We are happy in the way he is adapting to our style and what we want from a winger. I think he is ready to start."
Maresca added he does not know how the United fans will react to Garnacho.
Striker Marc Guiu will have opportunities after being recalled from his loan to Sunderland: "Marc is back because the intention is to use him. He needs to do things better and improve things and for sure we are going to use him."
He believes Estevao Willian can play in a variety of attacking roles: "Estevao can be great in all the attacking positions because his talent is very good and he is a top player. He needs time. Both [Estevao and Cole Palmer] can play wide - both can play as 10. I feel very lucky to have them both with us."
On Manchester United: "They have the desire to win this game. When you struggle, you have the desire that you want to win. Against Chelsea, at home, there are all the reasons this can be very important for them."
On their boss Ruben Amorim: "The only thing I can say, I really appreciate Ruben [Amorim]. I watched his games since in Sporting. He's a magnificent manager. Sometimes you can struggle a little bit more or less [at the start of a project]. I have no doubt he's a fantastic manager."
'A big reality check'published at 14:20 BST 18 September
14:20 BST 18 September
Nina Hristova Fan contributor
Chelsea fan contributor Nina Hristova feels that the Blues have a lot to learn in the Champions League given the quality on display in the competition.
Palmer encouragement despite difficult nightpublished at 14:17 BST 18 September
14:17 BST 18 September
Tom McCoy BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
While the 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich ended Chelsea's nine-game unbeaten run, there were plenty of encouraging signs for boss Enzo Maresca - not least another good performance from Cole Palmer on his 100th appearance for the club.
The 23-year-old scored a well-taken goal to briefly give the Blues hope and also had a late effort ruled out for offside.
Palmer made his return from a groin issue in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brentford, scoring his first league goal from open play since January.
Chelsea's hopes this season could depend on whether he is fit and firing.
He has been directly involved in 73 goals in all competitions since his club debut two years ago, a record bettered by only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah among Premier League players.
James: It was always going to be tough against Bayern with their experienced players. However it is a good learning curve for this young Chelsea side. I felt the score didn't necessarily reflect the performance.
Fossie: A decent performance but the three defensive errors cost us. The team will learn from it and hopefully cut out these mistakes. Robert Sanchez is proving to be a good shot stopper but couldn't do much about the three goals. A lesson that must be learned quickly.
JD: Proud to see Chelsea back in the Champions League. Ultimately Bayern stretched us too much but they'll learn from it and come back stronger. Loved the battle between Michael Olise and Marc Cucurella while Cole Palmer yet again proved his class.
Stuart: Very frustrating that we gifted Bayern two of the goals with abysmal efforts at playing out from the back. We need to vary it up as we have shown time and again that we can't do it against a good pressing team. Also Pedro Neto runs a lot but has no end product.
Simon: This was exactly what I expected to happen. The team just isn't ready for the competition with the lack of experience behind them. Too many mistakes cost us badly and it shows how much they still need to learn and improve as a team.
Nigel: The problem Chelsea have is that Enzo Maresca will never change his view or tactics. He's all about passing out from the back and possession football, even when by passing out from the back the team consistently lose the ball and put themselves under pressure while the possession is just sideways and backward passing. I hope that I am wrong but I never see Chelsea winning the Premier League or Champions League with Maresca as manager.
Media caption,
Harry Kane scores twice as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1
Image source, Getty Images
