Chelsea injury news
Despite boasting one of the biggest squads in the Premier League, Chelsea still struggled with their injury issues last season. Ultimately, a number of other factors caused the end of Mauricio Pochettino's spell, but Enzo Maresca has since fared far better on that front, with the results arriving in the early stages of the Italian's tenure.
The Blues have looked the closest to their best since Thomas Tuchel's time in charge, with Maresca finally turning things around for Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge - and Cole Palmer unsurprisingly playing a central role of stealing the headlines.
Their toughest test yet under their new manager now awaits in the form of Arne Slot's Liverpool side at Anfield. Losing just once and going stride for stride with Manchester City and Arsenal so far this season, the Reds have conceded just two goals in seven Premier League games under their new boss - representing the task ahead for Maresca's team.
liverpool-chelsea-premier-league-matches
Related
The 10 best clashes between Liverpool and Chelsea
What could help unlock a stubborn Liverpool defence is the return of a star man. As confirmed by Maresca, Reece James is now in line to return against Liverpool and could feature for the first time this season after missing the last 11 games in all competitions due to hamstring problem.
Maresca told reporters, as relayed by Goal: "He [James] is finally available. He worked with us over the international break. It's good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling. Finally, he is back.
"It's complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It's not easy, so you are always looking for a solution. Probably, the solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week, in one game, because probably in this moment, for different reasons, Reece's body cannot play twice a week."
Now or never for "decisive" James
Whilst James' return should be seen as a positive, those around Stamford Bridge have seen how this story plays out one too many times before, and they, alongside their captain, will be desperate for a twist to the tale this time around. No one can doubt the £250,000-a-week defender's quality, but that quality becomes void when he's forced to watch on from the sidelines.
Reece James-Chelsea-Captain
Dubbed "decisive" by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, if Maresca manages James' workload, he may just have one of the best right-backs in European football at his disposal on a consistent basis for the first time in what feels like forever.
0 Comments