Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel provided an update on three players following the club’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday.
The Blues had the chance to maintain their six-point deficit to leaders Manchester City, but squandered the opportunity after conceding a last-gasp equaliser.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for the Blues in the 28th minute, but they were unable to double their advantage.
The Seagulls were the better side in the second half, and they eventually earned a well-deserved point with Danny Welbeck’s headed goal in stoppage time.
Tuchel was undoubtedly frustrated with the result, but the German has further problems to deal with Reece James and Andreas Christensen being injured.
James was spotted leaving the stadium on crutches following the game. Tuchel has admitted that losing the wing-back was a huge blow for the London giants.
Meanwhile, the Blues boss confirmed that Werner has yet to return to training. The forward continues to remain on the sidelines after testing positive for Covid-19.
He said via football.london: “Hamstring injury for Reece James, back injury for Christensen. We knew before that this would be a tough match, I have not seen many teams play a nice game against them.”
“We don’t know what we can demand from players after injuries and Covid, I don’t know what they are capable of doing. The injury for Reece James was a huge blow. Not good [on Werner], not in training. Because of Covid.”
The Blues have lost their way since the November international break. They have suffered just one defeat in the last six games, but have picked up only nine points in the process.
As a result, they have dropped eight points adrift of Manchester City, who are in a tremendous run of form at the moment. The Cityzens have won their last 10 league matches.
Things may only get tougher for the Blues as they are scheduled to host Liverpool at home on January 2. It is a must-win game if they want to keep their slim title hopes alive.
Chelsea have a hectic schedule next month with six games. They face cross-town rivals Tottenham thrice, with two of those meetings in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Before the second leg of the semi-final tie, they travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Pep Guardiola’s side. The Blues can ill-afford more injuries at the current phase.
