Xabi Alonso made clear on Friday that Cole Palmer’s absence from England duty was a fitness call, not a loyalty question.
Speaking at Stamford Bridge a day before Chelsea host AFC Bournemouth, the Chelsea manager was asked whether Thomas Tuchel’s criticism of Palmer during the Nations League camp had been justified.
“He is committed but he needs to be fully fit to play and when he is fully fit he will enjoy his minutes,” Alonso said.
“The most important thing for Cole is to be fully fit, that he enjoys his game, that he is feeling okay.”
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Palmer withdrew from Tuchel’s squad on 21 September after playing all 90 minutes of Chelsea’s Premier League defeat at Brentford, with his issue described by Sky Sports as a muscle problem that needs managing rather than a serious injury. Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice and Tino Livramento also pulled out of the long international window, with Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner called up as replacements.
Tuchel’s blunt verdict
Tuchel’s response from the Nations League camp was unsparing.
“I can only judge him on what he is delivering for the national team and he’s just missing too many opportunities,” Tuchel said of Palmer, who was left out of England’s World Cup squad over the summer.
He added a wider warning aimed at any absent player.
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“Everyone should be eager to come, desperate to come, because the train is rolling,” Tuchel said. “Full credit to the players who bought into that.”
England won three of their four Nations League group fixtures without Palmer, beating Czechia and Croatia and losing only to Spain.
What Alonso saw at Brentford
Alonso pointed back to that defeat in west London as the reason Palmer could not play on through international duty.
“In the Brentford game, we could see he was struggling, and for the next part we have a good feeling for him and that he is feeling better,” Alonso said.
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Palmer trained throughout the past week at Cobham. Reece James, Moisés Caicedo and João Pedro are also fit after missing or struggling through the Brentford defeat.
Chelsea host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 10 October, kick-off at 3pm local time.
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