Chelsea news: Enzo Maresca rips into two Blues stars as Cole Palmer receives major warning

Chelsea's season so far has been a stop-start affair, with Enzo Maresca's young squad showing flashes of brilliance amid growing pains. The Blues started brightly, with seven goals in two games sweeping aside West Ham and Fulham last month.

But in the three weeks since, cracks have appeared. A stoppage-time slip cost them victory against Brentford, before chastening defeats to Bayern Munich and Manchester United exposed their fragility.

Tuesday night's Carabao Cup clash against Lincoln City only deepened the sense of unease. Chelsea trailed 1-0 at the break to their League One opponents and looked in danger of a humbling exit before Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte's strikes turned the tables and dragged them through. Relief, yes - but hardly reassurance.

READ MORE: Jose Mourinho takes just TWO matches with Benfica to spark new controversy

READ MORE: Premier League icon to drive Ryder Cup star's buggy in shock career switch

Maresca had rotated heavily, making eight changes from the side beaten at Old Trafford, yet the display raised familiar concerns. Lincoln's intensity and second ball scraps unsettled the Club World Cup champions - a stark reminder that experience matters, even against lower-league foes.

As the Chelsea boss grapples with squad depth and integration, the pressure is beginning to mount ahead of a tricky Brighton trip this weekend. Here, Mirror Football brings you the latest news from a somewhat sombre Stamford Bridge.

Maresca singles out two players

Maresca didn't hold back in the dressing room on Tuesday night, unleashing a furious half-time tirade on his under-fire stars after a dismal first 45 minutes. Speaking after the game, the Italian singled out summer signings Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato after revealing he handed out a verbal battering to his players.

Asked if tempers flared at the interval, he told reporters: "Absolutely, absolutely. Because we prepared the game thinking exactly in the way it was the first half, and sometimes it's about desire, it's about winning the second ball, but it's also about experience."

He added: "Jamie Gittens never played against League One [teams], these kind of games. Jorrel Hato never played this kind of game. You have to play in a different way."

Maresca also revealed that had to remind his players that standards need to remain high, no matter the opposition. "The first half, we were aware of the game that we expect in terms of long balls, duels, throw-ins, free-kick, every time inside the box," he said.

"I know that some of them, they didn't play these kind of games, I asked today how many of them they play against, you know, League One team, because you need to know a different kind, you need to play a different kind of game.

"It's not the same game, because the desire is double from them, from duels, these kind of things. We struggled in the first half, I think in the second half we were much better."

His words cut deep, highlighting a lack of nous in the gritty, duel-heavy battle that lower-tier sides relish. It serves as something of a wake-up call for Gittens and Hato, who may need to up their game in order to stay in Maresca's good books.

Palmer burnout warning

Cole Palmer's meteoric rise at Chelsea has been nothing short of sensational, but former Blues striker Carlton Cole has issued a stark alert over the playmaker's punishing schedule. The 23-year-old has been a talisman since his 2023 switch from Manchester City, notching double figures in goals and assists in both of his full seasons in west London.

But with an increasingly crammed calendar ahead - Premier League, Champions League, and Carabao Cup games coming thick and fast - and after a summer spent working tirelessly at the Club World Cup, Cole fears the toll may finally prove too great.

"Cole Palmer burning out is a concern for me," Cole told Boylesports. "I look at it and I think, how many games are too many? Because, yes, I think they probably got two or three weeks' holiday out of it." He pointed to Palmer's recent Caribbean break as a brief respite, but warned that the relentless intensity of his schedule could create major problems.

"I'm in the game, I see it at youth level, and it's intense when they go up to the first team," the former striker added. "There are so many games, and then they're so good, they have to play. And that's what Cole Palmer is. He's so good."

Cole acknowledged Palmer's hunger for minutes after bench frustrations at City, but urged caution. "We've got sports science nowadays that look at a player's capacity," he added. "And I think they're in control scientifically... So there'll be games that I think they'll take him out of this season."

Still, the real danger lurks in the mind, according to Cole. "It's the mental stuff that I feel. I think you can have a major burnout mentally. So if they're strong-minded, it shouldn't be a problem, but they're only human."

Palmer has already missed two league games this season through injury, and started on the bench against Brentford earlier this month amid fitness concerns. He was left out of the squad that faced Lincoln but is expected to return for Saturday's clash with Brighton.

Fresh injury scare

Chelsea's striker woes deepened on Tuesday as teenage hotshot Marc Guiu was ruled out of the Lincoln win with a nagging training knock, adding to Maresca's mounting headache up top. The 19-year-old Spaniard, recalled from a brief Sunderland loan just weeks ago, "felt something" during the pre-game preparation - nothing major, but enough for Maresca to play it safe and leave him out, particularly with Liam Delap sidelined until December with a hamstring problem.

"The reason why [Guiu wasn't involved] is because yesterday in the game preparation he felt something, nothing important," Maresca revealed. "But with Liam Delap already out, we did not want to take a risk. So we gave Ty [George] and Jamie [Gittens] a chance."

Guiu's absence forced Tyrique George into an unfamiliar central role, where the academy graduate shone with a goal and assist to salvage the tie. It's a blow for a forward line already stretched thin after Nicolas Jackson's Bayern switch.

The Spaniard has not been used since his abrupt return to Stamford Bridge, but Maresca is clear on expectations. "Marc is back. The reason why he's back is because the intention is to use him. But he needs to do things better, he needs to improve things."

No firm timeline has emerged for Guiu's return, but he's expected to be in contention for the Brighton game. However, Joao Pedro, who has scored five goals in nine Chelsea games so far, is tipped to start.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.