After being reduced to just FIFTY first-team players for an underwhelming draw against Bournemouth, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino defended the club’s medical staff.
Mauricio Pochettino has praised Chelsea’s medical staff after a string of injuries limited his roster to 15 players for last weekend’s draw with Bournemouth.
Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, and Noni Madueke joined an already lengthy list of absentees for the manager’s dismal, scoreless match at the Vitality Stadium.
This is the second ιnjury catastrophe to plague the club in 2023, after former manager Graham Potter lost ten starters to ιnjury in January.Due to the late withdrawal of Cucurella (who had a fever the night before the game), Pochettino put three youngsters aged 19 or younger with no first-team experience on his bench last weekend, in addition to two goalkeepers.
Armando Broja, who hasn’t played since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in December, might make his first appearance since the ιnjury on Sunday against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, along with the defender and Madueke, pending a late evaluation.Even after spending milliоns over the course of three transfer windows, co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali still don’t have a team that can compete.
Summer signing Christopher Nkunku, who suffered an ιnjury during the preseason tour of the United States versus Borussia Dortmund, is among those who will not be available until December.Carney Chukwuemeka, who scored his first goal for the club against West Ham in August before being forced off with a knee complaint, is not available, nor are the team’s captain Reece James, new acquisition Romeo Lavia, or defender Wesley Fofana.
Benoit Badiashile is back in training with the team, but Trevoh Chalobah is still out. On Saturday, Caicedo will be evaluated.
Despite Ben Chilwell’s starting position on the bench against Bournemouth, Mauricio Pochettino has stated that he prefers Conor Gallagher to Enzo Fernandez as captain in James’ absence.
‘Before we arrived here we did everything to try and have a clear knowledge of why there were too many injuries last season also, to analyze the rιsk,’ added Pochettino.
“It’s all about the player’s background and potential for harm. No one on the medical staff in the performance area is to blame.Those who work in these departments (at the club) are highly skilled experts in their fields and deserve our respect. So that’s why they’re playing football professionally. However, there is a personal rιsk to (certain) participants that must be evaluated.
Bad fortune, then. Injuries can happen in one season or two, but they have happened (to Chelsea) regardless matter how careful you are.
It was a tackle versus Dortmund and Christopher twisted his knee. In the next three to four months. That’s right, he was in top form right from the get-go of the game.
Football’s governing bodies are quite professional, and we should treat them as such. It’s hard to put a value on things like these because they happen occasionally.