Chelsea's recent defeat to Sunderland has brought fresh injury concerns to light, as revealed by manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues' 2-1 loss was marked by a late goal from Chemsdine Talbi, further highlighting the team's struggles amidst an already challenging Premier League season.
Sunderland continued their impressive start to the Premier League season with Talbi’s injury-time winner. This victory temporarily propelled the newly-promoted side up to second place in the Premier League standings. On the other hand, Chelsea missed out on a golden opportunity to secure five consecutive wins despite taking an early lead.
Alejandro Garnacho scored just four minutes into the game, but Chelsea failed to capitalize on this advantage. The Blues were ultimately punished for their lackluster performance when Talbi scored after Wilson Isidor had equalized midway through the first half.
Exhaustion and injuries plague Chelsea
Maresca’s side appeared fatigued towards the end of Saturday’s home fixture - their third match in seven days. However, there is no respite for them as matches continue coming thick and fast. They are set to face Wolves in the Carabao Cup fixture on Wednesday before clashing with London rivals Tottenham on Saturday.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, said:
‘I think Joao is not training every day because he’s managing a little bit himself from the injury problem. Moi [Caicedo] is exactly the same, Enzo [Fernandez] is exactly the same. We have four or five players that unfortunately, because of some problems, they cannot work every day and they try to make the effort to play the game. So Joao in some games has been better, today he struggled a little bit. But today I think overall all the players struggled today, so it’s not just about Joao.’
The west London outfit is already grappling with a lengthy injury list that includes key players like Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, and Benoit Badiashile who are currently unavailable for selection.
New injury concerns emerge
Adding more concern for Maresca and his team are new injuries affecting Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. These players are all nursing injuries which have hampered their ability to train between matches effectively.
These mounting challenges pose significant hurdles for Chelsea as they navigate through an intense schedule amidst a competitive Premier League season. The team's ability to overcome these obstacles will be a true test of their resilience and adaptability, making the upcoming matches crucial for both the players and their fans.
