Chelsea Boss Pochettino Given 'Bad News' Over Chilwell Injury

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has received "bad news" regarding the latest injury setback for defender Ben Chilwell.

Chilwell underwent a scan on Thursday to assess the extent of a hamstring issue that forced him to leave the pitch during Chelsea's midweek League Cup victory over Brighton.

Pochettino confirmed that it "looks like a bad injury," although he couldn't specify how long Chilwell would be sidelined. This injury comes as another setback for the English left-back, who played in just 23 league games last season and missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury.

Pochettino told reporters on Friday, "I think it is bad news from what the doctor told me. It is not a good thing. It looks like a bad injury, but we need to assess it in the next few days to determine the duration of his absence."

With Reece James, the England right-back, also unavailable due to injury, Pochettino acknowledged the difficulty in replacing players of such high quality. He said, "At all clubs, important players are missed when they don't play. If the question is, 'Do we miss them?' Of course. Reece is a top player, and Chilwell is also. When they are at their best, they are the best full-backs in the world."

Pochettino could potentially be without up to 11 players for Chelsea's upcoming west London derby against Fulham, as injuries and suspensions have left the squad depleted. Regarding Vincent Kompany's suggestion that players should have limits on the number of games they play to prevent injuries, Pochettino expressed uncertainty about its feasibility.

He said, "Maybe there are players who cannot cope with playing 70 games during the season, but others can. It's difficult to generalize. We cannot put a limit on players. Players want to play every single game. When a top player wants to play, how do you say no?"

SportsLigue