Enzo Maresca has found three Chelsea undroppables going into crucial run

If ever a football manager needed some respite, it was Enzo Maresca on Sunday. And mercifully for the new Chelsea manager, his team put aside the chaos currently engulfing the club to beat Wolves 6-2 in what proved a frenzied 90 minutes.

The serenity isn’t going to last long though, with the Blues facing two crucial games this week, not to mention a potential flurry of transfer activity as Maresca seeks to trim his bloated list of 41 senior players. And either side of the international break, Chelsea have a critical run of games that could potentially define their campaign.

Chelsea face Servette (in the Europa Conference League), Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, West Ham, Brighton and then Nottingham Forest – in what appears a golden opportunity to pick up points. And they’ll need to take it, as that period is followed by a hazardous run of matches that includes Liverpool, Newcastle, and Arsenal.

Following the Wolves win, Express Sport looks at three players that Maresca dare not drop in the coming weeks….

Noni Madueke

When you’ve inadvertently posted a social media message underlining how much you hate Wolverhampton, then stepping onto the field at Molineux a few hours later is likely to be interesting. And sure enough, Noni Madueke was treated to a hostile reception from the off as home fans made their feelings on the Chelsea forward clear.

His response? To go on a mazy run in the opening seconds that created the corner from which Nicolas Jackson headed home. And after the sides came out at 2-2 after the interval, the 22-year-old took centre stage with a clinical hat-trick.

Wolves full-back Rayan Air-Nouri was hauled off after 66 minutes, by then on a yellow card and the change couldn’t have come soon enough after Madueke had tormented him from the first whistle. Maresca may need to teach his player some social media lessons, but he can be rest assured Madueke is already well-vested in both finishing and handling hostility.

Cole Palmer

If last season underlined the immense potential of Cole Palmer, then Sunday showed the campaign that saw him crowned PFA Player of the Year was no flash in the pan. His lobbed 30-yard finish at Molineux was as composed as it was clinical, and while Madueke rightly grabbed the headlines with his second-half treble, let’s not overlook the fact it was Palmer who provided all three assists.

At 22, the heights the forward can potentially scale appear huge. Barring injury or suspension, Palmer will again play a pivotal role for club and country in 2024/25, and axing him would be hitting a self-destruct button that not even Chelsea chiefs dare touch.

Michu’s standing as the Premier League’s greatest one-season wonder remains safe for now. Palmer, on the other hand, is only getting started.

Nicolas Jackson

‌There were times last season when suggesting Jackson was undroppable by Chelsea was the sort of opinion that would send social media into a hysterical meltdown. But on Sunday, the 23-year-old’s ability to run the channels and play off the shoulders of defenders again came to the fore.

His goal should also have provided a confidence boost, even if his celebration and post match antics on X reeked of immaturity. With Palmer, Felix, Madueke and co around him, Jackson will get plenty of chances and if he can become more assured in the area – a notion that should become reality if Maresca sticks with the striker – then a 20-plus goal season is within reach.