Thomas Tuchel provides injury update on five Chelsea stars after 3-2 West Ham defeat
Chelsea gaffer Thomas Tuchel has provided more concerning injury updates following their defeat against West Ham United yesterday.
Rotating the playing XI will be key in the upcoming fixtures as the Blues prepare for a hectic festive season. Tuchel will be able to rest a few players in their Champions League game against FC Zenit since they have already qualified for the next round.
West Ham have beaten Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Tottenham and Leicester this season.
David Moyes 👏 https://t.co/JLbIZz5JAr
Be that as it may, Chelsea find themselves on a sticky wicket. Speaking after Chelsea's loss at the London Stadium, Tuchel revealed how the three players who started the game were dealing with pain.
Here's what he said:
"Kai [Havertz] has huge pain, Marcos Alonso has back pain, so it’s another two substitutes due to injury. I have no idea when N’Golo Kante will be back, and we’re missing also Mateo Kovacic for five or six weeks. Also, Jorginho is playing with a little pain for many days, and you can see it."
Chelsea played well despite their loss to West Ham last night. The Blues were six points clear at the top of the table a few weeks back. Sadly, they now sit in third position. Chelsea have 33 points and are behind Liverpool (34) and Manchester City (35) after 15 gameweeks. But there's plenty of games remaining for the Blues to turn things around.
Chelsea's injury concerns have gotten worse in the last few weeks
Ben Chilwell suffered an ACL injury against Juventus and is believed to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
N'Golo Kante has had a turbulent couple of seasons because of injuries. He, too, twisted his knee against Juventus. The Chelsea gaffer initially thought the Frenchman would be out for a week. However, it's been two weeks and there's been no update on his return.
Start of the day: Chelsea lead the Premier League
Middle of the day: Liverpool lead the Premier League
End of the day: Man City lead the Premier League
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a title race 🍿 https://t.co/06Fxe3WUul
Mateo Kovacic, too, has been out for a while with a hamstring injury. Trevor Chalobah injured his hamstring during Chelsea's trip to Watford in midweek.
With Jorginho, Kai Havertz and Marcos Alonso joining the list of injured players, Chelsea gaffer Thomas Tuchel will have a rather uphill task rotating his squad.
However, their game against FC Zenit in midweek shouldn't be a lot to handle as they have qualified for the next round. Chelsea then take on Leeds United on December 11 in the Premier League.