Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, has offered support to the club’s medical team in light of a substantial injury list at Stamford Bridge.
Amidst a significant injury list at the club, Chelsea’s manager Mauricio Pochettino has come to the defense of the club’s medical team.
In their recent match against Bournemouth, the Blues found themselves in a challenging situation as they had to navigate the game without a staggering 12 senior squad players. The contest ultimately ended in a goalless draw, underscoring the absence of these key contributors.
Looking ahead to their upcoming fixture when Chelsea welcomes Aston Villa on Sunday, there is a glimmer of hope for the team as some of these sidelined players may make a return to action. However, it’s worth noting that several pivotal members of the squad continue to be sidelined due to various factors such as injuries, suspensions, or other considerations.
Chelsea’s ability to secure a victory against Aston Villa will likely depend on how swiftly they can reintegrate these missing players and adapt to the challenges presented by their ongoing absences.
“It’s the profile of the player, the risk of the player. It’s not the people working in the medical staff of performance area,” said Pochettino.
“I think we need to respect these areas [at the club] are very good professionals, qualified people. That’s why they are working in football. But there’s an individual risk to [certain] players, you need to assess.
“Then there’s bad luck. We have injures that maybe happen in one season or maybe in two, but have happened [to Chelsea] because of different situations you cannot control.”
France forward Christopher Nkunku is facing an extended period on the sidelines, with his knee injury, sustained during pre-season against Borussia Dortmund, expected to keep him out until at least December. In the meantime, centre-back Wesley Fofana is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The injury bug has also hit several other key Chelsea players. Club captain Reece James, defender Trevoh Chalobah, and midfielders Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka are among the notable names currently unavailable, further adding to the team’s injury concerns.
“Christopher against Dortmund, it was a tackle and he twists his knee. Three or four months out. That is from the beginning of the game, he wasn’t tired, he was fresh, good, strong,” added Pochettino.
“The organisation in football are super professional and we need to respect that. Sometimes things happen like this and it’s difficult to evaluate.”
Pochettino noted that Chelsea utilized their break from European competitions this week to kick-start their season, and he suggested that the absence of European commitments worked in their favor.
This respite came as a result of the Blues’ failure to secure European qualification, a rarity for the club as they missed out on Europe for only the second time in 26 years following their 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Their challenging start to the current campaign has seen them win just one of their initial five games, placing them in the 14th position in the league.
“The circumstances have given us time to work and we’ve had a really good week,” said Pochettino.
“It has been good to recover players from the international break.
“It’s a time that, of course, for the fans is difficult because they are used to being in Europe but we need to take advantage of the situation.”
