• Chelsea have experienced a series of injuries in their attacking players.
• Enzo Maresca quipped that he might have to step in and play forward.
• Cole Palmer may have to adapt to a new role.
Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca indicated that the club's influential attacking midfielder Cole Palmer might be positioned as a forward following injuries to two strikers this week.
Nicolas Jackson suffered a hamstring problem during Chelsea's 2-1 win against West Ham United on Monday night, while Marc Guiu - the young forward who took his place in that match - also injured his adductor.
Guiu is anticipated to require "weeks or months" for recovery, while Jackson might return within days. Nevertheless, Chelsea will play against Brighton two times within a week, prompting Maresca to possibly be inventive with his lineup choices.
The clear substitute for the injured pair is Christopher Nkunku. Maresca affirmed: "Christo has previously played in the No9 position."
The Italian has seldom relied on Nkunku to begin against Premier League teams and - even during his successful performances in the Europa Conference League - the ex-RB Leipzig forward has often been used in a more withdrawn position.
Maresca quipped that he might have to take charge of the attack before highlighting his leading scorer: "Cole has played as a No9 previously." We can discover several alternative solutions. Currently, we haven't made any decisions as we are still awaiting Nico [Jackson], and then we will evaluate various options.
Palmer has primarily played as a No10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with his responsibilities in possession occasionally adjusted to exploit a specific weakness that Maresca has identified in the opposing team.
The prolific midfielder possesses some experience in a centre-forward position, occasionally pushed up front during Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at Chelsea and - more significantly - during his time with City’s youth team coached by Maresca.
Chelsea's lack of natural forwards arises just after a transfer window where Joao Felix was loaned to AC Milan. The sole winter signing for the Blues was teenage midfielder Mathis Amougou.
Maresca might claim that he has "no regrets" regarding his club's recent signings, but he was already considering July. "In the summer, we will evaluate whether we require something else, not just regarding a striker but overall," the Italian commented. "It’s unfortunate that both forwards are injured in the same match."
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