Antonio Rudiger will definitely be needing a new pair of boots after his match-winning performance for Chelsea against Swansea on Wednesday night.
It proved to be an eventful night for the German international in particular. Firstly, he was recalled to the Blues’ back-three in place of the rested Cesar Azpilicueta and scored in the 55th-minute with a header, sealing all three points in the process, with his first Premier League goal.
But after the match, Rudiger revealed that his boot had torn during the match and that one of the challenges had left him with a nasty cut on his left foot. (Daily Mail)
The ex-Roma centre-back took to Instagram to reveal a horrible foot injury. The defender, who earns £77,000-a-week shared an image of his torn blue boot with his left sock stained with blood and asked Nike to explain how it happened. “@Nike what is this,” he asked on Instagram.
The matter of fact that Rudiger made it through the full 90 minutes is a huge positive for boss Antonio Conte, who will hope his centre-back does not miss any games due to the injury, especially during the congested festive schedule.
The Blues worked hard for their latest victory but Conte was full of praise for the way his side broke down their stubborn visitors.
“This type of game, you are able to score early, otherwise you must have a lot of patience to try the best way to score,” Conte was quoted in a report by Daily Mail.
“At the same time, you must pay attention for the counter attack. This type of game, the desire to win, you have a lot of desire to win. Then you want to try to attack with all the players and sometimes you lose your balance.
“My players never lost their balance; they played an intelligent game, good win. We must be very good also to win this type of games,” the Italian added.
In an eventful game, Conte was sent to the stands by referee Neil Swarbrick in the first-half for screaming at fourth official Lee Mason a lot of times regarding Swansea’s time-wasting tactics. After the game, the Italian tactician apologised but he has to wait for the Football Association’s final verdict on a potential action.
We next face Newcastle United on Saturday as we look to continue a good run of form.
