After Raheem Sterling was frozen out for Chelsea’s opener against Manchester City, the club’s new manager Enzo Maresca noted that there wasn’t space for him. He rates the (ex?) England international, but with a 42-man squad, choices need to be made.
With a largely healthy squad, it seems like a luxury problem. But ‘healthy’ is a big issue for Chelsea these days. Let’s rewind to last season when Mauricio Pochettino faced 43 distinct injuries to his players before the end of the season.
Let’s just say that back when Eva Carneiro was in charge, Chelsea didn’t suffer as many injuries. So, that begs the question: what is going on?
Where Does Chelsea Stand?
Football supporters tend to think that things always go against us. Penalties, unlucky last-minute goals, missing out on the player in the transfer window, the FA releasing an unfair fixture list, and the list goes on.
It’s part of being a fan. But if we’re going to do a deep dive on this, let’s bring the stats into play for a proper comparison. Chelsea suffered 43 injuries last season, which is a lot, but the league leader of this unfortunate record was Manchester United (45 injuries).
Chelsea’s injuries were quite serious, however. 20 players in total missed 1,745 days combined (just 5 days behind ‘leaders’ Newcastle). Reece James, who is by now one of the most injury-prone players in the league, was out for a total of 206 days (two separate injuries).
What stands out from last season, however, is when the club missed a whopping eleven players in a single game. When injuries pile up like that, there’s a problem.
Not a One-Season Wonder
Chelsea did not lead the injury league table last season, true. And if it had been a one-season anomaly, fine. Yet the club has been near the top of the table for years, Wenger’s top-four injury trophy, if you will.
In 2022-23, Chelsea was second after Liverpool. In 2021-22, the Blues won the league. It’s a recurring problem, not an isolated incident. It seems endemic, a systemic part of the way the club does business.
Is It the Players?
Sometimes, no matter the physiotherapy, the quality of the medical staff, the precautions, doing the training drills to perfection, it just will not prevent injuries with certain players.
Look at someone like Arjen Robben. Not quite a Blues legend, but one of the most talented players Chelsea has featured in the last twenty years. Yet he was seemingly made of glass, which Mourinho hated, and was a big part of the reason he moved to Madrid.
But has that been the case with Chelsea in recent seasons? Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a regular with the Chelsea medical staff, yet doesn’t seem to have the same issues with Milan. Pulisic is another one who was often unfit with Chelsea and is now seemingly an Iron Man.
N’Golo Kante was arguably Chelsea’s best player, yet he only played 9 times for the club in his last season. In Saudi Arabia, he seems to be going through a second youth, just look at his performances with the French national team.
Poch + Medical Staff + ? = Perfect Mix
Mauricio Pochettino has always been known to push his players hard, often featuring one of the fittest squads in the Premier League. However, with Chelsea, that may be one of the reasons we’re seeing even more injuries this season.
Perhaps it’s also just a perfect blend of circumstances. The medical staff at Chelsea may be bringing players back too soon, or they may not be able to exert enough control over what’s happening on the training pitch. Bring a player back before he’s ready, push him in that Poch way, and injuries will occur.
Or, perhaps, it could be the diet that the players are being prescribed, or perhaps over/under-training certain muscle groups. How is the physiotherapy before and after matches?
Ultimately, it’s difficult to say. We don’t know what happens behind the curtain, who has the most control when it comes to injury prevention, and who is ultimately responsible for what’s happening. And that’s extremely frustrating for fans. It’s clear something is going on, and signing over 40 players is not going to compensate for an unfit squad.
