Chelsea seem to always be in the news when it comes to injuries to players. Levi Colwill was sidelined for a long period even before this season officially began. Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and others have also had their fair share of time on the sidelines, with many of them yet to return to the pitch.
This has posed a challenge for Enzo Maresca, who has had to tweak his tactics accordingly. And honestly speaking, the manager has done a decent job at adapting to these challenges.
Nevertheless, Palmer, who had been suffering from a recurring groin issue, made his return to the pitch recently and even scored a goal against Everton. Well, just when fans were hoping that the English number 10’s injury woes were behind him, it looks like there’s further bad news on that front.
The Shields Gazette has reported that Palmer is doubtful for Chelsea's matchup against Newcastle United. Maresca had stated earlier:
"I already said many times in all the press conferences that the target for the ones that they need to be protected is the target. Cole in this moment is one of the players that he deserves to be protected, and in this moment he's not available to play two games in three days."
Key Chelsea star’s availability in doubt for the Newcastle United fixture
True to word, Palmer did not feature in the game against Cardiff City but Chelsea did find a way to win without him on the day. Now, will he be fit in time to face Newcastle United?
Palmer's impact on Chelsea is something that hardly needs any explanation. The English number 10 has been one of the best players for the Blues ever since joining from Manchester City, and played a major role in the club’s success last season as well.
Injuries have greatly limited his playing time this campaign, with the player appearing in just seven matches so far. However, despite that, the 23-year-old has found the back of the net three times.
This new development comes as another setback to Chelsea. But at least Palmer’s absence is not due to any new injury, but rather a preventive measure to avoid further aggravating the ongoing issue.
That does not mean that the situation is any less worrying. How long will this groin issue continue to trouble Palmer? Is load management the new reality for the rest of his career, like it is for Reece James?