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
Ben Chilwell
Injury: Knee
Chilwell played twice for England in the last week against Brazil and Belgium. Having come back from injury before the international break, the left-back is now a doubt for Saturday.
What Pochettino has said: “Still we need to assess a few players like [Ben] Chilwell, who came from the national team playing two games after he didn’t play with us. He got a knock in his leg, on his knee, today he wasn’t ready to train.
“We will see what happens tomorrow, whether he will be available for the squad. We need to assess him”
Levi Colwill
Injury: Toe.
Colwill’s toe problem has kept him out of England’s internationals this break, which does not bode well for his Euro 2024 hopes. He has not been seen in training pictures released in the build-up to the game.
What Pochettino has said : “We only found out after the [Brentford] game. We finished with two players who then couldn’t train. Levi’s problem is his toe.”
Possible return date : Burnley (H) – March 30.
Robert Sanchez
Injury: Unknown.
The goalkeeper has been second choice since December after losing his place to Djordje Petrovic. He returned to the starting XI against Leicester but is now out injured once again.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Christopher Nkunku
Injury: Hamstring.
Nkunku has struggled with injuries for most of the season and is currently out with a hamstring issue. He has struggled for match fitness and his maiden season at Stamford Bridge is virtually a write-off.
What Pochettino has said: “I think he suffered a problem in his hamstring and we will see in a few weeks if he can be again available. But yes, now he is doing recovery from Sunday. A little bit unlucky, bad luck because to suffer again another setback.
“It’s always tough for a player that didn’t play too much during the season that also came from the Bundesliga, from Germany, with some problems. He was so good in the pre-season. It is a difficult season for him. It is difficult to accept another injury and to delay to play more consistent.”
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.
