:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67172089/1227871315.jpg.0.jpg)
Chelsea have had to deal with a multitude of injuries throughout this season, and while the situation did improve after a three-month coronavirus-enforced break, the frequency has increased once again.
In fact, Chelsea are ending the season with our best player and our captain both sidelined, after they both suffered hamstring injuries in last Saturday’s FA Cup final. And unfortunately, as feared, at least one of them will miss the start of next season, which is just five weeks away.
Frank Lampard confirmed that while César Azpilicueta should be back in less than a month, Christian Pulisic is set to miss at least six weeks. Even if we count six weeks from last weekend, that puts his return on the first weekend of the new season (September 12), and obviously that’s not going to happen like that. He’s going to need time to get back to fitness slowly, and that’s before we consider the tendency of hamstring injuries to linger well beyond expected prognoses (case in point, N’Golo Kanté’s “small” problem, which has now kept him out for a month).
Lampard has acknowledged as much in today’s press conference as well.
“Six weeks, I think so. We have to treat the injury right.
“When Christian reflects on the first season, from where he has gone in the start he should be very happy. We’ll get him fit and ready. If he misses the first one or two games, we’ll hopefully have him after that.”
In better news, especially as tomorrow’s concerned, the aforementioned Kanté as well as Ruben Loftus-Cheek are both fit enough to not only sit on the bench, but to start.
“Ruben and Kanté are in the squad. They are fit to start, both.
“Christian is probably a six week injury with Azpilicueta hopefully three weeks. Pedro as we know is moving on but hopefully six weeks after an operation. Willian’s is improving but not right for this game.”
-Frank Lampard; source: Football.London
Let’s just get through this without any further injuries, shall we?