SQUAD UPDATE: COLE PALMER SET FOR BURNLEY RETURN AFTER TACTICAL REST VS HULL
Cole Palmer is back! Discover the latest Chelsea injury news on Lavia, Colwill, and Cucurella ahead of the Burnley clash.
Chelsea are back in Premier League action, and if you’ve followed them lately, you know what that means: a mix of hope and nerves. Sure, they just cruised past Hull City in the FA Cup, smashing four past them and cooling the sting of letting Leeds off the hook with that 2-2 draw. But look a little deeper, and the real story is the same as ever: who’s fit and who’s not.
Liam Rosenior’s team holds fifth place right now, two points ahead of Liverpool and six behind Aston Villa in third. For once, they’ve had a whole week off, thanks to dodging a Champions League playoff. That gave the manager a bit of breathing room to get his team in order. Now Burnley are on the horizon, a solid chance to lock in their position, but also a reminder that injuries are still shaping everything.
Palmer Gets a Breather as Squad Rotates
People were surprised when Cole Palmer didn’t even make the squad against Hull. He’d scored four goals in his last two games, so most figured he’d start. Instead, Rosenior left him out not because of any injury but just to manage his workload.
“Managing him,” Rosenior said. “Great to see Reece James back out there. Great for him to get his 60 minutes.
“I wanted Enzo Fernandez to play 45 minutes with Moi Caicedo, but in the end, Moi stayed on for 60. I’m happy they all came through fine. For the first time in ages, we’ve got a full week to get ready for Burnley.”
So, no drama – Palmer should be back against Burnley at Stamford Bridge. He’s been crucial to Chelsea’s attack, and giving him a rest now is all about the big picture.
Cucurella’s Fitness Still Up in the Air
Marc Cucurella’s situation feels murkier. He had to come off at halftime against Leeds with a hamstring issue and then missed the Hull game. In a squad that’s constantly changing, his steady presence has mattered.
Rosenior kept it honest: “Right now, he’s not fit. It’s a hamstring thing. I can’t give you a timeline yet.”
Unless he’s back in full training, Burnley looks like a long shot. Arsenal the week after seems more likely. With everything Chelsea is aiming for, managing muscle injuries is non-negotiable.
Then there’s Jamie Gittens, whose hamstring tear against West Ham is a bigger blow. He’s set for a long spell out.
“Jamie’s out longer term,” Rosenior said. “That’s tough for him. I haven’t worked with him long, but I know his career and how good he is. We’ll miss him.”
That knocks out a key option out wide and limits how flexible Chelsea can be tactically.
Lavia and Colwill Offer Hope for Later
Romeo Lavia’s recovery is a bright spot. He’s been out since hurting his thigh in the Qarabag draw back in November, but he’s training again.
“We have a really detailed plan for him,” Rosenior said before the Leeds match. “He’s been with us the last couple of days. It’s great to see him back. But we want to make sure that when he returns, he stays fit.
“So we’re giving him the right plan for the next ten days or so.”
They’re eyeing March for his return. Chelsea has missed his calmness in midfield, especially when games get tight.
Levi Colwill, still working back from a serious knee injury in preseason, is making progress too. Rosenior is optimistic but doesn’t want to jinx it.
“Yes, he could be back before the season ends, but it’s step by step. I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep,” he said.
“Levi’s is in a good place. He’s working hard. I talked to him this morning; he’s itching to come back, but we need to be sure he’s 100 per cent. He’s a great professional, and I can’t wait to have him back. But I’m not putting a date on it; health comes first.”
May is realistic for Colwill. If he makes it back in time, he could have a big say in how Chelsea finishes the season.
Elsewhere, Filip Jorgensen is still on the rehab trail after a muscle injury, and Dario Essugo faces over a month out after a training mishap.
When you look at Chelsea’s injury list, it sums up their season as a constant balancing act between keeping players healthy and building momentum. Burnley’s up next, and it’s another chance to make a statement. But the line between moving forward and running into trouble is razor-thin.
MUDRYK SPOTTED: STAR TRAINS PRIVATELY AT UXBRIDGE FC WHILE SERVING A MAJOR FA SUSPENSION
Mykhailo Mudryk is training alone! Read about his Uxbridge pitch rental, the 4-year FA ban threat, and his offensive gaming ban.
The Ukrainian international hasn't played for the Blues since their Europa Conference League win over Heidenheim back in November 2023. After joining Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, he racked up 10 goals and 11 assists in 73 matches.
People started talking when he showed up on a football pitch this week, even though he's still suspended.
Mudryk Trains at Uxbridge FC
According to talkSPORT, Mudryk wasn’t actually training with Uxbridge. He just rented their 3G pitch and brought his own private coaching team along. The Honeycroft ground is about 40 minutes from his place, and his representatives booked it directly.
Chelsea had nothing to do with these solo sessions. Mudryk’s FA charge bans him from training or playing with the club.
If he’s found guilty, Mudryk faces a ban from football that could last up to four years. But the time he’s already spent suspended counts toward that total.
Back in December 2024, Mudryk said, “I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”
Other players like Sandro Tonali, Eric Cantona, Ivan Toney, and Luis Suarez have also received long bans.
Mudryk Banned from Gaming Too
Football isn’t the only place Mudryk’s hit a wall. In February, he got a four-week ban from the Counter-Strike 2 platform FACEIT for making offensive comments during a game.
Apparently, he made several remarks about the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during WWII. These killings carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army between 1943 and 1945 left up to 100,000 Poles dead, many of them women and children.
FACEIT’s rules say a four-week ban goes to repeat offenders, so this probably wasn’t Mudryk’s first time getting punished for his behaviour on the platform.
In a message to his fans, he wrote, “Happy New Year to all my fans. I just wanted to say thank you for your support. I see all your messages and truly appreciate them, so please don't give up on me, as I have not given up on myself. Can't wait to see you soon.”
DISCIPLINE CRISIS: WHY CHELSEA IS ON THE VERGE OF AN ALL-TIME PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
With 10 games left, Chelsea's top-five hopes rest on fixing a disciplinary record that is the worst in the Premier League.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior isn’t messing around anymore. After yet another red card, this time Pedro Neto got sent off in the second half of their 2-1 loss to Arsenal. Rosenior’s patience has run out. That’s now nine red cards for Chelsea this season, which is over twice as many as any other Premier League team. Even Enzo Maresca picked one up when he was in charge.
It’s not just Neto. Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro, and Moises Caicedo – they’ve all been sent off at some point. Chelsea’s disciplinary record has gone from bad to worse, and Rosenior’s fed up. With Neto now suspended for the big game against Aston Villa, Rosenior wants his players to get their act together and start taking responsibility.
“It needs to improve,” he told reporters on Monday. “My job is to build a culture where people own up to mistakes. If you mess up, admit it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. That goes for me too. If I pick the wrong team or make a bad call, I need to be accountable, and I expect the same from my players.”
Rosenior’s message couldn’t be clearer: sort yourselves out, or you’re out. With ten league games left and a top-five finish and a Champions League spot still within reach, Chelsea can’t afford to keep shooting themselves in the foot. They’re only two reds away from the all-time Premier League record. At this point, they could nearly field a whole team of players who’ve seen red this season.
Neto’s sending off came hot on the heels of Wesley Fofana’s red card in the draw with Burnley. Rosenior said, “You need your team-mates, but you’ve got to help yourself too. Pedro apologised to everyone, but we’re missing him on Wednesday. I need to see better behaviour, not just from Pedro, but from everyone. Too many silly bookings, too much dissent. If we’re serious about improving, we need to change this now.”
It’s not a new problem either. Chelsea finished bottom of the Premier League fair play table last season under Maresca, and they were bottom the year before with Mauricio Pochettino.
Asked how he plans to fix it, Rosenior explained he even had to sub Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez against Arsenal to avoid more reds. “It’s not always about punishment,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to show the value of staying disciplined. The stats don’t lie: when we keep 11 men on the pitch, our chances of winning go way up. That should be all the motivation we need.”
He knows setbacks happen, bad passes, and questionable refereeing, but he wants his players to react positively and move on. “I can’t keep losing players every couple of games. If someone can’t control themselves, I’ll have to leave them out.”
Chelsea’s running out of excuses. It’s time for the players to step up or step aside.
