Enzo Maresca was forced to rotate his side heavily for Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, however admitted after the game that one of his starters is ‘not 100% fit’.
The Blues conceded deep in added time in the West London derby, with their impressive second half fightback not enough to secure all three points.
Changes were needed to spark life in the Chelsea side at half-time, and Blues fans were disappointed by Jamie Gittens’ performance in his second Premier League start.
The introduction of Cole Palmer was a massive boost for the Blues, and his fine strike sparked their comeback late on.
Gianfranco Zola praised Palmer for his performance, as he marked his return from injury with a goal, however he is not the only player currently suffering with fitness problems.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesEnzo Maresca confirms another Chelsea attacker is struggling with injury
Maresca said after the game that Joao Pedro had already told him that he wasn’t at full capacity before the game, however he still started him against Brentford.
He said: “Joao Pedro told me he wasn’t 100 percent fit so if I was thinking of Bayern Munich then I wouldn’t play him.”
The Brazilian kept up his good run of contributing to goals since he joined Chelsea with the assist for Palmer, however was on the end of a physical defensive display from the Brentford backline.
With the bloated fixture list that is coming their way in the coming weeks, they will be counting on Pedro to deliver across multiple competitions.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesChelsea need Pedro to deliver in coming weeks
After the departure of Nicolas Jackson on loan, the Blues left themselves light of options in the striker position for this season.
These issues have been added to by the news that Liam Delap is set to miss a number of months of action following a hamstring injury.
Marc Guiu was recalled from his loan spell at Sunderland, however the fact he was not in the matchday squad for this game perhaps gives an indication into how highly Maresca rates him.
It looks as if Pedro is set to bear the majority of minutes in the striker position, starting with the Champions League group stage opener against Bayern Munich.