Chelsea have come forward with some out of the box strategy and that is to omit one of the stand-out players, Cole Palmer, from their squad for the early stages of the UEFA Conference League. The club has referred this as a strategy for Load Management. As Palmer played a total 57 games last season for club and country. Chelsea rested Palmer at the start of a season that may drag upto mid-July. As the club taking part in the new Club World Cup scheduled to be held in the United States.
Why Leave Out Palmer?
Here’s the wider view, Chelsea not only left out Cole Palmer but also his fellow teammates like Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana, and the only thing this is related to is workload. Footballers are not robots, and the clubs have started to realize the importance of resting key players to avoid exertion or injury. This could be part of a long-term plan for Palmer to keep him fresh for the more important matches of the season.
With the Club World Cup around the corner, from June 15 to July 13, suggests Chelsea is looking to play a long game. If the season goes into mid-July, those players will have gone over a year with non-stop football. That’s a heavy workload for even the very best of athletes.
Footballers at Risk: FIFPro Urges Rest For Footballers
Here’s where things get serious: FIFPro, the worldwide footballers’ union, has been warning about the heavy number of matches players are being asked to play. They made a bold statement saying that players are not robots and called football’s governing bodies to take player health seriously by guaranteeing them enough rest.
Just look at Palmer, for an instance, who recently withdrew from England’s squad for the Nations League matches. His body is telling him that he needs a rest. And Chelsea paid attention to this. FIFPro have gone as far as to suggest a mandatory minimum days for rest for players and a specific number of games a player can play in any one season. This is nothing strange but a common sense that no athlete can play at his 100 percent without enough rest.
Chelsea Conference League Campaign: Can They Pull Out Without Palmer?
Even without Palmer for the start of the Conference League, Chelsea still stands strong. They will go up against Gent, Panathinaikos, FC Noah, Heidenheim, Astana, and Shamrock Rovers. These don’t really sound like European powerhouse teams. However, Chelsea still needs to give it their all. Luckily for them, it’s a group stage, and they can afford to relax. With Chelsea moving forward towards the knockout stages of the tournament, we can expect to see Palmer back in the Chelsea squad.
What’s Next For Palmer
Although Palmer has been rested for the group stages of the UEFA Conference League, this does not definitely mean that we won’t be seeing him in Europe at all this season. Providing Chelsea go through the group stages of the tournament, it is very much sure that we will see Palmer back with the Blues. The club’s new manager Enzo Maresca will not want any loopholes in his side towards the end of the season.
For now, Chelsea is playing it safe with their star player. It’s a strategy that could pay rewards later, ultimately keeping Palmer injury free and fit for what promises to be a long and tiring season. With both the Premier League and the Club World Cup on their way, Chelsea will need all the firepower they can get, and Palmer, when the time is right, will more than likely feature big in their success.
While this sight can certainly be frustrating to the Chelsea fans, but resting Palmer now could quite be the smartest move Chelsea could make. After all, the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
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