Chelsea went into the international break high on vibes but rather low on fitness, with nearly a dozen players either injured or on the verge of injury.
Thankfully, several of them were able to skip national
team duty, with Moisés Caicedo, Reece James, and João Pedro all getting to rest and recover for a few days. Enzo Fernández did join up with Argentina but was able to leave early and take a few days off as well, amid reports of a knee inflammation, which may or may not be anything to be concerned about.
What we should be concerned about however is that despite the break, our injury situation continues to be — and will probably continue to be — a source of consternation. Cole Palmer is (feared to be) out for another couple weeks, while Enzo Maresca confirmed in today’s pre-match press conference that Benoît Badiashile is set to be out even longer than that after the injury he picked up last time out against Liverpool. Josh Acheampong also went off injured in that game but he did not get a mention from the head coach.
Maresca however did add that Enzo, Caicedo, and Pedro Neto all missed training yesterday for one reason or another and are thus unlikely to be able to play Saturday lunchtime.
We should get Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Andrey Santos, and Trevoh Chalobah back from injuries and a suspension, respectively, to help add some defensive options.
