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Chelsea's manager has suggested that his team is facing the aftermath" of their previous global tournament involvement, with a significant number of players missing for the forthcoming fixture against Liverpool.

Present Injury Situation

Key attacker Cole Palmer is out with a recurring groin problem, joining the list of lengthy absentees that features Wesley Fofana, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Santos, and Tosin Adarabioyo. Additionally, Chalobah is banned following his dismissal in the last defeat to the Seagulls.

"It's the truth," the coach commented. "If PSG and we have a high number of injuries, likely it's some result from the Club World Cup. In this situation we have four or five defenders out, but we're going to try to adjust and discover the right solution."

Report Points to Fixture Concerns

A newly released study from the global football union Fifpro showed that the club's squad were allowed three weeks off after winning the Club World Cup in the summer, while Paris Saint-Germain, the beaten runners-up, rested their players for 22 days. The analysis connected this high schedule to the fitness challenges experienced by the two clubs.

The Italian manager voiced agreement with the report's conclusions and stressed his confidence in the young talent who will fill the gaps. Josh Acheampong is likely to make his fourth Premier League appearance in the backline.

Trust in Youth

"This is difficult," Maresca conceded, "but at the same moment we trust the ones that are available. For certain, when you can change one individual after four or five games, it's preferable. The longer you perform together with colleagues, the understanding grows better. Sometimes you don't even need to speak to execute something on the field – they grasp immediately. When you persist to rotate it's more hard."

"Yet I really trust the emerging players. Not just the young players that we purchased but additionally the academy graduates from the academy. We gave opportunities last season to Josh so that demonstrates that I rely on young players."

Disciplinary Issues Discussed

Regarding conduct matters, Maresca stated he is unworried by Chelsea's history of red cards. The squad has been shown multiple red cards in their last as many matches, including a player's red card in the European win over Benfica.

Since his arrival in mid-2024, the club has the worst conduct stats among top-flight teams, with seven dismissals in seventy-three games – one every 10.4 fixtures. Additionally, they lead the league for cautions under his leadership, with 114 bookings.

"I don't see a discipline issue," he said. "It's necessary to analyse each incident individually. When it's a dismissal for bad intention or for poor behavior, it's different from the Manchester United incident or the Seagulls sending-off. In that cases, it's just a choice that you have to make in an instant, three seconds. Should I commit foul or not? It's difficult."