Enzo Maresca vindicated after making unusual Cole Palmer decision as forgotten Arsenal boost emerges

Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League squad named at the start of the season may have caused a bit of surprise at the time. Despite changes to the starting XI expected, teams usually still do take their strongest players to the games as part of the squad.

However, Enzo Maresca had a different plan. He left key player Cole Palmer out of the squad altogether, meaning he can’t call of him for any of the league stage games. Palmer has been Chelsea’s talisman since moving from Manchester City last summer.

This season, he already has seven goals and five assists in 10 Premier League appearances, following on from his 22 goals and 11 assists in the league last season. The decision to not even include him on the bench for UEFA Conference League games could be seen as a risk for Maresca.

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Who better to turn to if Chelsea need to turn a game in their favour? But, it’s a question that the Italian has not yet needed to answer. The Blues sit top of the league after the opening three group stage games.

A 4-2 win over Gent was followed by a 4-1 win over Panathinaikos. It got even better for Chelsea on Thursday night as they cruised to an 8-0 victory over Armenian side Noah. The added positive for Maresca and Chelsea is that they are claiming big victories while Palmer watches from home or the stands with his feet up.

The midweek rests means that he can concentrating on producing his best performances in the Premier League, with the weekend’s clash against Arsenal the concentration for the midfielder, it also eliminates the risk of Palmer picking up an injury during a game where Chelsea would have been comfortable winners without him anyway.

The sheer size of Chelsea’s squad means that Palmer isn’t the only one who has been afforded rest while the side continue to make progress in Europe.

The win against Noah saw 11 changes to the starting line-up vs Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana who all started at Old Trafford were not part of the matchday squad on Thursday night.

The fact that all those players are able to be rested while Chelsea still come out as 8-0 winners is only win-win for both the team and Maresca. It could just give the Blues an advantage in the Premier League over other teams in European action.