Chelsea 'must find solutions' when Palmer is marked - Maresca
- Published
Manager Enzo Maresca says Chelsea must "find different solutions" if Cole Palmer gets man marked as he was at Bournemouth.
The 22-year-old forward had made a sensational start to the season with a goal and four assists but struggled to make an impact in a physical match where Lewis Cook followed his every move.
When asked whether the seemingly frustrated-looking Palmer has become a target for opposing players after being fouled four times and marked over 90 minutes, Maresca said: 鈥淵es, but these kind of players are probably going to have these things.
"Cook was marking him for 95 minutes man-to-man before we put him wide. It is not easy for Cole or any player. You need to find a different solution."
The Blues faced 19 shots but found a way to win 1-0 at Vitality Stadium after Jadon Sancho made an impact from the bench by setting up an exceptional 86th-minute winner from fellow substitute Christopher Nkunku.
That goal sparked wild scenes as players celebrated with the away support and Maresca was happy to see his players turn the conversation around the club positive after in a week where a rift between owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali became apparent.
"The players read and see things on their social networks but I told them there鈥檚 nothing they can do about it and we try to prepare our games in the best way," he added.
"In this kind of game you need to learn that it isn鈥檛 just about the tactical part - you need something inside, to win duels and all the games are different.
"To win the game, you have to win with the T-shirt dirty - probably [getting] some yellow cards because they had many yellow cards. These kind of games require these kinds of things."