Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino was a frustrated figure on Saturday afternoon after his side failed to make their dominance pay in the final third against Burnley.
The Blues were held to a 2-2 draw by Vincent Kompany’s team at Stamford Bridge despite the away side being down to 10 men for the second half. Cole Palmer’s double was twice pegged back with Dara O’Shea netting a late leveller.
Alongside the disappointment of another frustrating afternoon for Chelsea, Pochettino was hit by yet another injury blow with Malo Gusto being forced off.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell were all added to Chelsea’s injury report ahead of the clash with all four only recent returning.
Earlier in the week, it was also confirmed that Romeo Lavia would not feature for the remainder of the season meaning he will have played just 32 minutes in a disastrous first season at Stamford Bridge. Fellow summer signing Christopher Nkunku has also missed the bulk of the campaign with captain Reece James continuing to be plagued by muscular issues.
Malo Gusto
Chelsea were hit by another injury blow against Burnley with Malo Gusto coming off after clutching his hamstring.
Injury: Hamstring.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Carney Chukwuemeka
Injury: Unknown.
Chukwuemeka withdrew from the England under-21 squad last week. Chelsea said he had “returned early to work on his fitness at Cobham, as he looks to play a key role in the remainder of the season.”
He was added to the club injury list on Thursday.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Romeo Lavia
Injury: Thigh.
Chelsea have confirmed that Lavia will not play again this season. He has only made one appearance – a 30-minute cameo from the bench against Crystal Palace on December 27 – having arrived in the summer.
What Pochettino has said: “No, it’s a different problem. It’s difficult to explain the situation because I am not a doctor and be precise with the information,” Pochettino said. “The most important thing is to make clear that in nine months, only a few weeks he was with us, training with us.
“He arrived and he could not train. When the club signed him, he was injured… I think it was his hip, or I don’t know, that was the problem. Then when he started to train with us, he suffered a knock in his feet.
“After he was training with us for a few weeks, he was available against Wolverhampton but he didn’t go in, and then against Crystal Palace he played 30 minutes and got injured in his quad and never again had the possibility to train with us.
“I don’t know, you showed me, ‘the methods of Pochettino are so hard’, no? But he didn’t train with me. He is sad. It is a sad situation. We hope he can become stronger and for sure, we are going to help him to become stronger and be available for the pre-season and the next season to show his quality.”
Possible return date: Next season.
Trevoh Chalobah
Injury: Hamstring
Despite starting in the 4-2 FA Cup, Chalobah was named on the Chelsea injury update. However, unlike Chukwuemeka and Sanchez, the defender is participating in partial team training.
Possible return date : Unknown
Possible return date: Unknown.
Reece James
Injury: Hamstring.
James has begun his rehabilitation after hamstring surgery at the end of last year – a procedure that is considered uncommon. He is working his way back but the club will not wish to rush him given the nature of his treatment.
What Pochettino has said: “We were talking and he has started his recovery, one day closer to being with the group. This is really positive and we’re all positive around him, we are going to help.
“It’s tough for a player with a very complicated and difficult season for him. Now’s the process to start to recover and it’s one day less until he’s part of the group. The most important thing is to start to solve the problem and help him to be strong.”
Possible return date: April.
Lesley Ugochukwu
Injury: Hamstring.
The midfielder has missed more than the last 20 matches with his current issue and is expected to see that number rise. His most recent outing came back in December and he has not been seen since with no further update coming either.
Possible return date: Next season.
Wesley Fofana
Injury: Knee.
Fofana is back on the grass at Cobham but is considered to be a long way from returning from his ACL rupture. He isn’t expected to play this season.
What Pochettino has said: “Unfortunately, I think it is difficult to see Wes playing this season, but you never know.”
Possible return date: Next season.
