#cole-palmer

#cole-palmer

"My hand is feeling the effects of thumping a door with a bit of anger. "We started really positively, and then after a couple of ludicrous mistakes, against a top team with brilliant players, it was always going to be a really difficult day for us. "At 2-0 down, with the energy and looking at the lads on the pitch, it looked a little bit like when we first came in. It looked a bit disjointed, they got their tails up,"

His underlying numbers back it up too - an XGI per 90 of 0.64 speaks to constant involvement. He may not be firing double-digit hauls weekly, but his reliability makes him a steady, captaincy-safe pick. In a season full of chaos and rotation, consistency is gold - and Saka delivers it week after week. Liverpool at home might not scream "buy", but they've been vulnerable to chances from the right-wing channel, which suits Saka perfectly.

In an unprompted and unexpected declaration last week, Maresca stated that the 48 hours leading up to Chelsea's 2-0 win over Everton had been the worst he'd experienced as Blues boss. Maresca chose not to elaborate on who or what had caused his 'worst 48 hours', but reading between the lines, it was not difficult to ascertain. You may like Enzo Maresca during the club's pre-season tour (Image credit: Getty Images)

He is available to start and to play,

"He is not available for tomorrow for sure, Barcelona for sure, Arsenal for sure. Unfortunately he had an accident at home two days ago and he hit his toe but it is nothing important. But for sure he is not back. It is fractured, yes. The only thing we know is he is not available for this week, next week. It can happen."

The restart of club football after the international break brings Barcelona manager Hansi Flick everything he could have asked for, in a sporting and psychological sense. The reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou in itself is a massive boost to the players, who will look to use it to push themselves harder this season. More importantly, however, Raphinha and Joan Garcia will be back against Athletic Club while Pedri is expected to return in the game against Chelsea.

Leading up to the game, though, Chelsea have been dealt a fresh injury blow as midfielder Romeo Lavia will be unavailable due to injury, reports Mundo Deportivo. The Belgian midfielder sustained a quadriceps injury that will keep him sidelined for approximately one month. Lavia suffered the injury last Wednesday during Chelsea's European fixture against Qarabag in Azerbaijan, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He was forced off in the eighth minute and replaced by Moises Caicedo.

Cole Palmer's emergence as one of Europe's best young players is the result of desire, drive and confidence, according to former Manchester City and England goalkeeper David James. Palmer's first taste of senior football came as an 18-year-old when he played in a fourth-round League Cup clash in September 2020, as he looked to make the transition from promising youngster at the Etihad to a regular first-teamer in one of the planet's most star-packed sides.

On what was only his fifth Chelsea start after a summer move from Palmeiras worth an initial £29 million, Estêvão was impressive throughout and almost capped an all-round action display late on with a fabulous overhead kick which drifted just wide.

Arsenal and Chelsea's modern day rivalry has seen the two London clubs trade bragging rights throughout the 21st Century. At this moment in time, it is the Gunners who are in the driving seat, tipped to end their Premier League title drought in May next year. There is a long way to go and plenty of football to be played, including games which will undoubtedly come to be decided by the likes of Bukayo Saka and Blues' talisman Palmer.