Maresca already hinted at changing his tactics for the game at Brighton because of Nkunku’s struggles playing up front.
The France international has been in poor form and has scored just one goal in 11 league matches in all competitions.
He opted to move Nkunku away from the number nine position, where he struggled in the FA Cup tie with Brighton six days ago, effectively swapping positions with Palmer.
But the new gameplan was disrupted by the injury to Madueke, which left Chelsea with just one player in Neto who could run in behind.
As a result, the visitors were left with lots of the ball – but with no real goal threat.
They completed 648 passes and had 69.4% possession at Amex Stadium but were unable to force Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into a save.
Speaking after the match, Maresca told BBC Sport: “It is difficult when you don’t have a proper number nine. In the last third we struggled doing things that until a week or two ago we were doing well.
“This is the worst moment since I arrived but we are still there and we need to finish in the best way.”
It was a similar story in that FA Cup game, with the Blues again dominating possession and completing more passes than their opponents but on that occasion having just one shot on target.
Chelsea’s best hope is finding a way to improve Nkunku’s level – but without hurting Palmer, who is also starting to decline after disrupting his excellent partnership with Jackson.
Either way, in reality, for all the money spent Maresca is simply short of options.
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