Chelsea’s internationals flirting with injury ahead of Premier League run-in

Bolstering the recent calls to do away with mid-season international breaks, Chelsea may resume Premier League action without two starters at full strength. Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois will return to England the worse for wear from international duty.

The Premier League’s Belgian internationals are having a particularly rough international break. Eden Hazard withdrew from his national side shortly before the break began. Thibaut Courtois will return from national duty with a question mark over his head for Saturday’s fixture against Crystal Palace.

According to SkySports, Courtois developed an unspecified hip injury during or after Belgium’s game against Greece. Courtois will not play for Belgium against Russia on Tuesday, and will be assessed day-to-day for Chelsea.

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Diego Costa picked up a foot and ankle injury while training with Spain on Sunday. Costa scored for Spain against Israel, netting a rare headed goal in the 4-1 win. Spain’s medical staff cleared Costa to stay with the team for their second match. However, there was no word from the federation if Costa would be in the match-day squad.

These injuries pale in comparison to Seamus Coleman’s double fracture over the weekend. The Everton veteran will be out for a bare minimum of six months, with most realistic estimates pushing up to a year or more. However, the entire spectrum of injuries lays bare the foolishness of scheduling international breaks during key points of the season.

Players are already significantly fatigued from their club seasons. For many internationals, this entails multiple competitions domestically and the Champions or Europa League. Club managers and physio staffs are carefully monitoring their players’ recovery and performance to minimize and mitigate any incident that could result in lost playing time.

International breaks pluck the players out of the system and routine they know best at a point in the season when there is the least margin for error. The risk of injury far outweighs the reward, particularly when teams are playing friendlies. These matches could easily be scheduled for the summer or – if the Premier League assented – during a winter break from club play.

Instead, the international system callously jeopardizes player health and club success. Managers can do little more than light a candle, stroke a rabbit’s foot and pray like there’s no tomorrow. For managers on the verge of relegation, sacking or the edge of qualifying for Europe, it truly may feel like there is – in fact – no tomorrow.

Chelsea have the world’s top backup goalkeeper in Asmir Begovic. The Blues’ next opponent are the least-threatening of April. But Crystal Palace have a long reputation as a spoil sport for teams pursuing the top places.

Diego Costa’s absence would be more troublesome, coupled as it is with Eden Hazard’s injury. Antonio Conte’s preferred method of replacing Diego Costa has been Hazard as a false-nine. If both Costa and Hazard are out of the lineup, Conte may have no choice but to play Michy Batshuayi. Many fans would welcome this on principle. But this is not the time in the season for an overdue blooding of a young striker.

Conte’s alternative may be to cobble together a two- or three-man offensive set-up with Willian, Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Cesc Fabregas could sit deep behind these three to serve up offensive opportunities. Fabregas would bear nearly all of the creative responsibilities in Hazard’s absence. But none of his targets are as familiar with his timing as Costa and Hazard are, which could leave some chances wanting.

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Chelsea will most likely have Diego Costa against Crystal Palace. The amount of rearranging that his absence would necessitate illustrates the pitfalls of international breaks. Nobody benefits when a player is injured. The international system needs to reform to make that less likely.