According to Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, this midfielder has progressed beyond the 45, 60, and 70-minute marks.
After months of battling injuries, Cole Palmer is finally ready to play a full match. Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca hinted that the midfielder, who is in excellent form, could feature for the full 90 minutes against Aston Villa.
Chelsea will face Villa in the English Premier League next Saturday. In a pre-match press conference, Maresca confirmed that Palmer is fit to play the entire game.
Although Palmer returned from a muscle and toe injury, he had not yet been ready for a full match. Maresca believes the English playmaker has now passed the cautious phase and is prepared for 90 minutes.
“I believe he (Palmer) is ready to play 90 minutes. A player’s progression goes 45 minutes, an hour, 70 minutes. He played an hour against Everton, over 70 minutes against Newcastle. I think he is progressing well,” said Maresca.
Maresca will also get Esteve Willian and Liam Delap back for the Villa clash. However, he himself will not be in the dugout on match day, having received a one-match ban for his third yellow card of the season.
“Yes, in almost 100 matches I have been suspended three times. Once for a celebration, twice for yellow cards. So unfortunately, I will have to watch from the stands. But Willy (Caballero) will be there, Danny (Walker) will be there, and the coaching staff will handle things,” explained the Italian coach.
Aston Villa are riding a wave of confidence after winning 10 consecutive matches across all competitions. Maresca praised the Premier League’s third-placed team and their Spanish coach Unai Emery.
“They know what they do, they know how they want to play. Right now, they are full of confidence. That is very important for a football team,” said Maresca.
Villa sit third in the Premier League with 36 points from 17 matches, while Chelsea are fourth with 29 points from the same number of games.
