Chelsea have added three more players to their extensive injury list after crashing out of the FA Cup with a defeat against Manchester City.
Three More Players Added to Chelsea Injury List
A Frustrating FA Cup Defeat
Winning the FA Cup was one of the very few ways that Mauricio Pochettino could have redeemed his debut season at Chelsea. But a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City in the semi-finals ended the Blues’ dream of finishing the season with a trophy.
A late goal from Bernardo Silva sent City to the FA Cup final. But Chelsea had more reasons to be frustrated with the game other than the final result. Three players who featured against the Citizens have been added to the club’s already-bloated injury list.
Injury Update From Stamford Bridge
The Blues have added Malo Gusto, Ben Chilwell, and Cole Palmer to their official injury list. The first two players are under “medical assessment” while Palmer is out with illness.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of his side’s derby against Arsenal, Mauricio Pochettino said of the “genius” midfielder: “We need to assess Palmer tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, but today I don’t believe he can be involved. We need to assess tomorrow and then decide.”
The manager added: “Malo (Gusto) suffered a problem with a ligament in his knee; we hope it’s not a big issue. Chilwell has the same problem he has suffered in the last few weeks [with his knee) after being with the national team.”
Three London Derbies in Two Weeks
In addition to Gusto, Chilwell and Palmer, seven other Chelsea stars are out with fitness issues. Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are expected to miss the rest of the season, while Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, and Lesley Ugochukwu are all in a race against time to regain full fitness for the final games of the campaign. Robert Sanchez is close to making his return from injury, while there’s no timeline for Levi Colwill’s recovery from his toe issue.
The Blues’ injury woes show no signs of improvement as they step into the final weeks of the campaign. Following their match against Arsenal, Pochettino’s men will take on Aston Villa, before hosting Tottenham and West Ham in two more London derbies before May 5.
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