Chelsea are set to face off against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur this week and they will do so with what is very nearly a fully healthy squad. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, manager Enzo Maresca said that three Cheslea attackers will be available for the match in Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, and Cole Palmer.
Jackson has been out of action since the West Ham match on February 3rd and the Blues have seen a rotating cast of attackers try to fill his shoes with little success. His natural replacement Marc Guiu was also injured in that match so Maresca was forced to try different options up top, finally landing on Pedro Neto who was the most effective.
Madueke was injured 10 days after Jackson in a match at Brighton and has been out ever since. His natural replacement on the right wing in Neto was eventually moved to striker and youngster Tyrique George stepped in on the wing. The academy product did well in relief of Madueke and he has forced himself into consideration for the rest of the season.
Palmer is the latest injury as he suffered an unspecified hamstring injury before the Arsenal match that forced him out of the squad and off the England 23-man squad during the international break. In a way it is a positive as it gave Palmer a much-needed break and he is now back in consideration for a starting place.
The Chelsea attack suffered without the presence of their top 3 scorers in the Premier League this season as they have combined for 30 goals in the league alone. The absence of Jackson was felt for two months as the Blues were thin at striker and there were no natural replacements left in the squad. Palmer’s absence was felt against Arsenal as the Blues had a listless performance with no creativity or verve and lost 1-0.
In this crucial stretch run that will decide the fate of Chelsea’s season, it is incredible news that they are close to full strength. Guiu is still out injured but should be back by early May at the latest and Romeo Lavia has not been healthy all season so his latest setback is not shocking. The defense is now back to full health with Wesley Fofana and Reece James back from their injuries and in good form as well.
For the first time in several months, Maresca has nearly his whole squad available to him and can shuffle the deck as needed for the fixture crunch to close out the season. Now all he has to do is pick the right lineups to guide the Blues to a Champions League place and a Conference League trophy.