Thomas Tuchel provides Covid recovery update on Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen
According to football.london, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that defender Andreas Christensen is still out of action due to Covid ahead of Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur. the Dane has now been effectively ruled out of the game.
Christensen tested positive before Chelsea’s clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, which also saw him miss out on the away fixture at Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium on Tuesday. Given that we dropped crucial points in both games, one can argue that the centre-back was missed.
When asked if the 25-year-old was back from Covid, Tuchel said that he expects the Dane to return to training in the coming week, ending speculation that the centre-back would be involved against Spurs.
“No. He is not with the team yet. We hope he is back in training next week.”
With Tuchel claiming that the Denmark international could make a return to training next week, the defender could potentially return to face League 1 side, Plymouth Argyle, in the FA Cup. Tuchel may look to rest and rotate his players for the cup clash against the minnows with Chelsea the overwhelming favourites to progress. The tie could hand Christensen a chance to ease his way back into the team.
The 25-year-old has had a season affected by injuries and Covid, leading to him being sidelined for the past few weeks. However, in the times that he has managed to make an appearance for Chelsea this campaign, Tuchel has played the Dane in a three-man defence alongside Antonio Rudiger and captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
This year marks a decade’s stay for Christensen in West London, having come through the Blues’ famed Cobham academy. However, he has recently been the subject of transfer speculation and has entered the last six months on his contract at Stamford Bridge. This means that the player is free to talk to a foreign club for a move in the summer once his deal with Chelsea expires.
The situation surrounding his contract saw Tuchel attempt to turn the screw by dropping Christensen for a few games last year in November. Despite the talks on renewing his contract still on hold, the academy product returned to the first team and contributed to the team’s success before Covid halted his progress once again.
The centre-back last appeared for us in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, helping the Blues reach the final of the competition. Although a return to action in the league may take time, Christensen would hope to play a huge role for us in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup as Tuchel could rotate his squad to conserve our stars’ energy for other competitions.
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The defender has seen a meteoric rise to success over the past few years after graduating from a talented academy player to a first-team regular. He was vital in the club’s second-ever UEFA Champions League triumph last season, featuring in a defence that kept a clean sheet against Manchester City in the final.
In what has been a stop-start season for Christensen, the player would be itching to get back out into the field once again. It may not be that simple, however, with young Malang Sarr performing superbly in his absence. It will be interesting to see whether the German persists with the defender in his lineup, or welcome back Christensen with open arms.
