Sports News
Chelsea injury latest: 6 to ‘miss’ Tottenham clash amid Cole’s update
Mauricio Pochettino will be without at least six Chelsea players for the visit to his former club Tottenham in the Premier League next Monday.
The Blues’ plaguing injury concerns have continued from last season with Pochettino and his backroom team doing all they can to prevent more muscular issues from hampering his players.
Injury blows in the first few months of the season have been a regular occurrence for Chelsea, although Pochettino was handed a double boost in the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Blackburn. Both Reece James and Benoit Badiashile have been out for the past few months but the duo were able to make a starting return at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening.
Enzo Fernandez was also back from the issue that saw him miss the weekend defeat to Brentford, however a fresh Cole Palmer issue may have arisen ahead of the London derby against Spurs. With that said, football.london has compiled all the latest injury news from west London ahead of Pochettino’s return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer was spotted hobbling in the second half of the Carabao Cup win over Blackburn. The 21-year-old was on the field until the 86th minute by which stage he looked to have overcome a kick to the ankle that saw him moving gingerly and trying not to put too much pressure on his foot. An impact injury is likely and Pochettino will likely confirm his status in his pre-Tottenham press conference today.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk was also absent from the matchday squad to face Brentford at the weekend. The 22-year-old winger is currently nursing a minor knock and Pochettino will be desperate to reintegrate him into the starting lineup to play Tottenham on Monday. However, that hope suffered a slight setback with the Ukraine international not in the matchday squad against Blackburn.
Reece James
After two cameo appearances from the bench, Reece James made his first start in over two months against Blackburn in the Carabao Cup. The Blues captain made it to 61 minutes before being replaced by Malo Gusto with the club captain posting to his Instagram story to mark his return.
What Pochettino said: “The plan was to check at half-time how he feels. After 15 minutes he started to feel tired and the second half he was a little bit tired and we need to be careful how we manage him. In that moment we made a change. It’s important now, the progression to be careful and not to go back. We cannot avoid 100% risk but the plan is to go little by little.”
What James said: “Long ass 3 months since I started, but good to get more minutes in the legs. thanks for the continued support. onto the quarter final. see you on monday night [salute emoji].”
Possible return date: Returned
Christopher Nkunku
Nkunku is still yet to play a competitive game for Chelsea following his transfer from RB Leipzig in the summer. The 25-year-old was dealt a major blow to his knee during a pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund.
He has taken his recovery programme to the next level – for the very first time since the summer, Nkunku was spotted outside on the training pitches at Cobham in his Chelsea gear. Now, Pochettino has hinted that the France international could return to action after the November international break.
Armando Broja
Broja was omitted from the matchday squad to face Arsenal last weekend. He is currently being assessed for an irritation on his knee and it’s unclear when he will return,.
What Pochettino said: “Broja wasn’t available and to decide to play with Nico after the surgery on his wrist, it was to find a different way to play in our principles but I think to change the strategy to attack.”
Possible return date: Tottenham (A) Monday, November 6
Romeo Lavia
According to the Mail, Lavia is expected to remain out of action until late November despite having taken promising steps towards a full recovery. The report states that the Belgian was able to take off his protective boot last week and he’s since begun his rehabilitation programme at Cobham training ground.
The Mail adds that a return in November is viewed as ‘optimistic’. It’s believed that the west Londoners are cautious of rushing him back ahead of schedule, meaning that Lavia may not return until early December.
What Pochettino said: “I cannot tell you [when he will be back] but he is still not running. After the international break he will not be back.”
Possible return date: Late November to early December
Trevoh Chalobah
Chelsea issued an official statement confirming that Chalobah picked up a knock ahead of the clash against Arsenal. The defender has been nursing a thigh injury this season.
Possible return date: November
Carney Chukwuemeka
Chelsea issued an official statement confirming that Carney Chukwuemeka had picked up a knock ahead of the meeting with Arsenal. He had made the bench against Burnley but has since hit another setback and is yet to play again this season.
The teenager has struggled with a knee problem despite only recently returning to full first-team training at Cobham. It is not certain how long he will be out for.
Possible return date: Unknown
Ben Chilwell
Chilwell suffered a knock towards the end of Chelsea’s clash with Brighton in the Carabao Cup at the end of September. Unfortunately for the Blues defender, the club quickly realised that the muscle issue was worse than first thought and, a month later, he’s still out of action.
Sports News
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
Sports News
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
Sports News
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
