Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed Mason Mount's injury blow following Club World Cup win.
According to Football.London, Chelsea could be without four of their first-team players due to injury against Crystal Palace in their London derby this weekend.
While the Blues have put up a formidable front in different competitions this season by winning the FIFA Club World Cup and reaching the EFL Cup final, the West London club has struggled to maintain their supremacy in the Premier League.
Chelsea started the season in fine fashion but Covid issues coupled with injury headaches have been a constant thorn in our bid for the PL crown. We are currently 16 points behind current league leaders Manchester City and the title race looks over.
There is, however, a top-four place to nail down so that we can relax and focus on other competitions for the time being. We face Crystal Palace on Saturday, 19th February, as we look to catch Liverpool who sit 2nd in the table.
But things don’t look all that rosy for now, as we could be without some of our key players for the London derby at Selhurst Park this weekend.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has returned to training after sustaining an injury in the build-up to their last FA Cup fixture against Plymouth Argyle. The injury also saw him miss some important fixtures in the FIFA Club World Cup. Loftus-Cheek has struggled with injury issues in recent times and it has been a considerable hindrance to his development.
While the English midfielder has been out of contention for some time now, he could be fit to play the match against the Eagles. Even though it may be a possibility, Thomas Tuchel could sway on the side of caution before handing out first-team minutes to Loftus-Cheek.
Mason Mount suffered a knock in their FA Cup fixture against Plymouth Argyle. Despite this, he played the final of the Club World Cup and had to be substituted before half-time due to an ankle issue.
Thomas Tuchel commented (h/t Football.London) on the injury to Mount. The German manager hinted that the blow was painful and it may be a while before we see him again:
“He was injured. It was in one of the first actions, he had a run at the back post with Azpilicueta. They fell and his opponent fell on his ankle and he hurt his ligaments badly. So we have to see. It’s an injury. He came to me and said he didn’t feel good, stiff and painful. He didn’t know if he could continue so we took the decision.”
The 23-year-old midfielder would tentatively be looking to return to the pitch for the final of the EFL Cup against Liverpool at the end of the month but only time can tell us as to what will happen. With a big trophy on the line later this month, perhaps handing a rest to the Englishman this weekend may not be the worst idea.
Reece James has been making great progress on his fitness so far but there is no solid return date as of now. Whilst he did travel with the Chelsea squad to Abu Dhabi for the FIFA Club World Cup, he did not make an appearance for the West Londoners. The youngster has been developing at a good pace and was having one of his best seasons so far in terms of direct contribution.
The 22-year-old has scored five goals and provided six assists in 23 matches across all competitions for the Stamford Bridge outfit this season. Whilst Cesar Azpilicueta has done his best to fill in for the injured star, James’ absence has been a grave loss considering the kind of pace and attacking intent that he brings to this squad.
Ben Chilwell was slowly starting to nail down his position but a cruciate ligament injury in the UEFA Champions League fixture against Juventus could possibly rule him out for the remainder of the season. Marcos Alonso has deputized in the absence of the former Leicester City full-back.
Chilwell provided a burst of energy on the flanks and his absence could be a sad sight for fans. The long-term nature of his injury could also give Thomas Tuchel a few headaches when it comes to squad selection in the recent future.
The Blues have had to deal with injuries on several fronts and that has hampered their consistency in the Premier League. The injury list right now doesn’t look that bad if we are being honest. James and Chilwell’s absence has been expected, and Mount, along with Loftus-Cheek are either close to a return or could feature against the Eagles this weekend itself.
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