Why Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk missed Chelsea’s Premier League defeat vs Brentford

Mauricio Pochettino claims Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk had a muscle strain which saw them miss Chelsea vs Brentford

Chelsea unquestionably missed the services of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk, who were both ruled out of the game against Brentford, which concluded in a 2-0 defeat. Mauricio Pochettino confirmed before the game that both players felt muscle strains, which saw them miss the game.

The absence of Fernandez and Mudryk saw Cole Palmer operating as No. 10, while Raheem Sterling played on the left wing and Noni Madueke started on the right wing. It was obviously a big blow for us, given how important the Argentine midfielder has been to us. Mudryk, though, seems to be picking up his form and could have been crucial for us against the Bees.

However, their injury isn’t serious, and the former PSG manager believes they should be fully fit before their next encounter. He told TNT Sports (h/t Metro):

‘‘Both of them felt a small muscle strain yesterday, but I hope they will be available for the next game. It’s not a big issue; it should be fixed in the next few days. We are going to miss both of them as they are very good players, but we have a very big squad to cope with that.”

Given our injury issues, it makes sense for Pochettino to be cautious. It makes little sense to put the players available at risk while looking at the bigger picture. Hopefully, the duo will be available for the next game against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup. Pochettino made the right call in this case.

It was a sensible decision to not play both players because we cannot risk them if they are not fully recovered from the last game. We played Arsenal and it was a high-intensity match so it’s obvious that players needed to put their utmost effort. We felt their absence since Fernandez brings a great deal of ingenuity to the game, but Palmer filled in admirably, creating two excellent chances.

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We would have needed Mudryk in this game since he gives us pace, and now that he appears to be developing into a clinical player, who knows, he might have converted those missed chances. He has demonstrated that he is now capable of starting games. Moving forward, we hope they’re both prepared to compete in the Carabao Cup.