Chelsea’s Injury Crisis Benefits Youngsters
The English Premier League Champions Chelsea have been dealt yet another blow as it was announced that central defender Alex has a thigh problem and will be out for a month.
The injury means that the influential defender will miss the start of the season, which could prove to be very crucial since his injury combined with that of Petr Cech means that Chelsea will be without two of their first choice eleven, going by how last season played out. Petr Cech was ruled out earlier, also for a month, with a torn calf and so he will be missing the start of the season too.
Chelsea’s back-up left back, Yuri Zhirkov is already out injured and due to his knee problems last seasons, that is not a good sign going into a new campaign. New signing Benayoun, from Liverpool, has a groin problem but at the moment that is not rated as serious. The players involved in the World Cup have not returned yet and so any injuries they might be carrying will not become clear until those players are back at the training ground, Cobham.
One of the players who could add to this growing list of injured players is Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast International played at the World Cup with a groin injury, delaying an operation he needed before the tournament had started, in order to represent his country. If the league’s highest goal-scorer goes under the knife, he is likely to miss the start of the season too and with his injury especially Chelsea could have a very difficult time at the start of the season.
More crucial than the games at the start of the season are the pre-season friendlies and the intense training players are going through. Levels of fitness required to go through an entire season of football requires players to have a good pre-season and in the past, injuries during the pre-season have meant that players are more likely to break down during the course of the season.
On the bright side, injuries to these players means that some of the young players get to play major roles, in pre-season games at least, and impress the Chelsea Manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Daniel Sturridge and Franco Di Santo started up front in Chelsea’s last friendly against Crystal Palace, while another pair of youngsters, Nemanja Matic and Josh McEachran, started alongside two experienced players in Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel in the middle of the park.
And no less than three of Chelsea’s youngster started at the back with Patrick van Aanholt, Ryan Bertrand and Jeffrey Bruma getting some much needed time out on the pitch ahead of the upcoming season which starts in August. The next match for Chelsea sees them line up against the Dutch club Ajax in Amsterdam.
The match means that two of Chelsea’s youngsters who started the previous friendly, Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Bruma, will be returning to the place where they learnt to play football essentially since both the players have come through the famous Ajax Academy.
Only once the season has started will it be clear how Chelsea managed to cope with the string of injuries they have suffered but it may prove to be a good thing, as some of the players who have been waiting in the wings get a chance to shine and fulfill some of their undoubted potential.
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