http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Obi-Mikel-c18882
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the injury situation in his camp ahead of the trip to Blackpool. The Italian revealed that former Benfica defender David Luiz could miss the crucial match on Monday if he failed to recover from the injury he picked
up against Manchester United.
The 23-year-old centre back was undoubtedly the best player for the Blues as they defeated league leaders Manchester United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately Luiz suffered a hamstring strain which threatens to keep him on the sidelines for the trip to
Bloomfield Road on Monday.
Ancelotti will however, be hopefully of midfielder John Obi Mikel returning to the squad. The Nigeria international injured his knee during warm up for the match against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side last week and was therefore unable to participate. He could
possibly make a return against Blackpool according to the Chelsea boss.
Ancelotti revealed that Luiz had not been training, he said while speaking to reporters, “Until now, he's [Luiz] not been able to train.” Though the Chelsea boss was confident of Mikel’s chances of returning for the Blackpool match, he continued, “Mikel,
he had a little problem on his knee in the warm-up before the game. He had a scan and everything was okay.”
The Blues boss also spoke about the long term absentees, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 midfielder has been sidelined since September but is reportedly close to making a comeback. Ancelotti confirmed the Israeli skipper’s return, he said,
“Benayoun is starting to train outside on the grass, alone, in individual sessions.”
Brazilian defender Alex has had a frustrating season with a knee problem which has kept him out for the better part of the season. However, he is also close to his return and will strengthen the Blue squad as the season approaches the end. Ancelotti said,
“Alex will come back next week and, after that, I think we will check him and take a decision on him then.”
The Italian coach revealed he would not be taking Blackpool easily and hinted he would be presenting a strong side. He said, “It's an important game, a difficult game because Blackpool have had fantastic performances at home. It's a team who like to play
football with intensity and a good pace, attacking football.”
Ancelotti urged his side to continue with their good form, which saw them beat Manchester United and find their way back to the top four in the English Premier League table. He continued, “It will not be an easy game, but our moment's good now. We want to
maintain continuity in the results.”
The return of the experienced players will be a big boost for the Blues and will give them the push they have been looking for. It will also give Ancelotti more options to choose from and implement his rotation policy.
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