Chelsea have started the season off with a couple of injuries. Forcing Enzo Maresca to make changes to the starting lineup. The new Chelsea boss talked about the availability of three players who missed the Premier League match against Bournemouth. Malo Gusto joins Reece James and Romeo Lavia on the injured list at Stamford Bridge. They were already slim at right back, with Malo Gusto out, it would be interesting to see how Maresca adapts. After Cole Palmer withdrew from the England national team for the international break, he looked fine against Bournemouth. Let’s discuss the other injuries at the club in detail.
Chelsea captain’s injury woes
Reece James is a brilliant player. He is a strong and physical fullback who is equally good in attack. He provides width in this Chelsea attack and is a great crosser of the ball. The academy graduate was named the club captain after Azpilicueta left in 2023. Reece James is undeniably one of the best at Chelsea, but injuries throughout his career have ruined opportunities for the English right-back. He has missed 63 games in the last two seasons for club and country and even missed the Euros due to injury. His availability is his biggest issue. His performances on the pitch are stellar, he singlehandedly improves the backline but is rarely available for selection. Maresca told the press that Reece needs more time. He was bound to miss a few matches this season because of his suspension against Brighton at the end of last season. His Thigh injury is an issue and is the reason behind him not making it to the squad against Bournemouth. With a lack of leadership on the pitch, Chelsea need their captain back. Reece James is one of the most important players in the team and after his return, Chelsea will surely improve.
Malo Gusto
The 21-year-old French right-back joined Chelsea last year as Reece’s backup. He is very good at attacking down the flanks by making overlapping runs. His work rate is impressive and playing at multiple positions in his time at Lyon has made him an extremely versatile footballer. Reece missed more than 150 days last season due to injuries in the meantime, Gusto did the job. After he picked up a thigh injury against Palace, the manager informed the press on Friday that he’ll be unavailable for this weekend. With Gusto out it was Disasi who played on the right, but his performance at the Vitality Stadium wasn’t great. He gave the ball away at dangerous positions multiple times and Chelsea were lucky not to concede. Chelsea would be hoping to get Reece or Gusto back before next weekend because the right flank needs them. The two fullbacks look essential to this team.
Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia’s injuries ruined his debut season at Chelsea. He was out for 282 days and missed 43 games last season. This season, he made an appearance in the second half against Man City and was impressive. He was expected to be back after the break, but Maresca on Friday informed he wasn’t ready for the match against Bournemouth. Lavia’s hamstring injury is looking better and he could be close to returning. Fans were excited to see him play this season as they have high hopes from him. The injury problem at Chelsea looks bad at Right Back but it is in times like this when managers step up. Chelsea need Maresca to find a solution, the Bournemouth attack looked good against Chelsea and The Blues were lucky to not concede. As the fixtures take a turn for the worse for Chelsea from the end of October, Maresca would hope to get his best players back for tough games.
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