Mauricio Pochettino has made a worrying admission about Cole Palmer ahead of Chelsea’s match with Aston Villa on Saturday.
Chelsea’s dreary campaign fell to new lows this past week as the narrow defeat in the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City was followed up with a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Though it doesn’t feel like it, the Blues’ season isn’t completely dead as they could still qualify for European football in the Europa Conference League or Europa League.
Whether or not the club actually wants the extra burden of playing Thursday night football next season is hard to say, but there is at least still something to play for in the final six games of the season.
Mauricio Pochettino will need a big reaction from his players on Saturday night when they take on Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.
Chelsea lost 1-0 to Villa in September but did knock them out of the FA Cup in a 4th round replay with a 3-1 win.
Fortunately, the Blues are set to welcome Cole Palmer back to the side after he missed Tuesday’s game through illness.
Mauricio Pochettino made troubling Cole Palmer admission
While it’s obviously great news Palmer is set to return, Chelsea’s performance in his absence is cause for great concern.
Chelsea managed just one shot on target against the Gunners without their star of the season and it’s already clear how vital he is to the team.
At just 21 years of age, Palmer is already Chelsea’s most important player and Pochettino has admitted his side struggles without him.
The manager said in his pre-match press conference: “We can talk, we can talk, we can talk, but in the end this is the reality.
“Cole is a very good player for us and he is a key player. He is showing we struggle a little bit without him.
“That is the reality we cannot hide.”
Given the hundreds of millions of pounds Chelsea have spent on attacking talent alone, that is a damning indictment of the club’s recruitment strategy and the rest of the squad.
Chelsea injury latest ahead of Aston Villa fixture
Pochettino also provided a promising update on Palmer in his press conference, with the playmaker set to return to the squad after illness.
He said: “Yes. Cole was training well in the last few days.
“We assume he is going to be ready for tomorrow and be part of the squad.”
However, the updates weren’t as promising elsewhere.
Christopher Nkunku, Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu are all still sidelined.