Cole Palmer was recalled to the England squad for the current international break following his omission for the World Cup, but the Chelsea star would be subsequently withdrawn, with reports citing “load management” as the reason.
England’s official statement did hint at injury however, and national team manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the same in his press conference today, ahead of their game against Spain this weekend.
“He plays with discomfort and pain and cannot play on the highest level with discomfort and pain.
Chelsea informed us. That is my understanding. We’re not managing load.”
Injuries have been a constant for Palmer unfortunately for well over a year now, as he’s dealt with a groin injury that cost him not only time with the national team, but form back home with the Blues. Thankfully, he’s begun the new season on absolute fire, so hopefully he’s over the worst of it.
Still, taking things carefully with him is certainly more than reasonable. He’s played nearly every minute so far this season, so giving him a nice little break is smart decision-making from Chelsea.
Disappointingly, Tuchel seems to be taking this a bit too personally, which is especially surprising given that he had to deal with the opposite end of this at Chelsea, when France kept running N’Golo Kanté into the ground, eventually costing our all-important midfielder an entire season, and, in turn, greatly affecting our title chances in 2021-22. Tuchel even goes on to insinuate that there may be a motivational aspect to all this as well on Palmer’s part, which is patently ridiculous.
“For sure it’s a missed opportunity. It’s another missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I don’t blame him for it, it’s just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries. I only want to rely on what I personally witness and see within my team. For that you have to be in camp. If you are not in camp there is a next level to impress that you cannot achieve because you can only do it with me on the pitch and with us on the pitch. It is a missed opportunity.”
“[…] This is not an ‘international break’. It’s a competitive environment, where the players love to train and be together. That’s what we created. We will never compromise on that. We will never let this feeling creep in that the players don’t want to come [to England camps]. We focus on the guys who absolutely want to play for England.”
-Thomas Tuchel; source: Sky Sports
Tommy’s always been a straight-shooter, but he’s gotten institutionalized now. Sad.
