(Video): Maresca’s bizarre decision to mention Cole Palmer’s “toilet” problems for a second time | OneFootball

The big news from Chelsea’s game against Arsenal before kick off today was that Cole Palmer wasn’t going to be present. Enzo Maresca did an interview with Sky Sports where he was asked why the playmaker was out of the squad entirely.

The coach announced before kick off that his key attacking star was injured with a “very small” problem, and wasn’t “in the toilet” suffering from the same gastro-intestinal problems that his manager had been happy to tell the world about the week before.

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We’re not sure Palmer would have been delighted to have his digestive system put on big screen the first time – we can only imagine how he feels the second time. Maresca offered up the information so freely, with a big smile. A little odd.

You can see Maresca speaking in the clip embedded here:

Palmer-less Chelsea as uninspired as you’d expect

Cole Palmer looks frustrated as Chelsea fail to beat Everton away. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Well Cole Palmer may not have been “in the toilet” but Chelsea’s performance certainly was in this game We predicted it would be a dull one given the lack of attacking options on both sides, but it wasn’t just dull, it was dire.

The time wasting, petulance and aggression towards the referees from both sides was appalling. In the end it wasn’t just boring, it was embarrassing. Given Cole’s current form, we’re not sure he would have made much of a difference. But it certainly couldn’t have been much worse. Christopher Nkunku was invisible once again, and Arsenal’s defence were as smothering and in control as we feared.

This isn’t all on the manager, as there are serious injury gaps, but still – not good enough.

Let’s hope Palmer and the team come back fresh after two weeks off.