Chelsea FC Duo Suffer Injuries On International Duty
Chelsea pair Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic were subbed off during the Serbia game.
With domestic football taking a break for international fixtures, various members of the Chelsea FC squad are off on their globe-trotting exploits. Defender Branislav Ivanovic and midfielder Nemanja Matic took part in Serbia’s World Cup qualifier against Albania on Thursday and both appeared to pick up knocks.
The Blues duo started the contest but they failed to last the full 90 minutes. Ivanovic was removed on the 65th minute mark, while Matic departed some eight minutes later. The Evening Standard reports that they are suffering from hamstring problems and some muscle issue respectively.
News of Ivanovic’s of injury has been received with joy from some Chelsea fans, which pretty much sums up the Blues situation at the moment. The right-back has been the club’s undisputed worst performer so far, but has somehow managed to feature in every Premier League game. Jose Mourinho’s insistence on selecting him is one of the reasons given when fans claim that the boss has lost his head.
Despite his form, there is no way that I would be celebrating an injury not just to a Chelsea player, but to anyone. Having said that, his sidelining is convenient for the Blues as it will force Mourinho to play the impressive Abdul Baba Rahman.
Matic’s knock, meanwhile, may only further his misery. The Serb was last subbed on before being subbed off during the Southampton clash and he may be at risk of being forgotten should be ruled out for a significant period of time.
Chelsea medical staff are due to examine the pair when they return to Cobham, which could be sooner than scheduled should they be dismissed by Serbia coach Radovan Ćurčić.
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Serbia did go on to win the contest 2-0 in a remarkable finish that prevented the Albanians from securing their qualification. The Serbs’ cannot mathematically qualify, but they illustrated a passion and drive the likes of which Chelsea fans are pining for. With the game petering out into a 0-0 draw, Aleksandr Kolarov and Adem Ljajic both struck in second-half stoppage time to give Serbia the three points.
Meanwhile, another player who has had their international break disrupted is Diego Costa. The Spanish international was in fact dropped by Vicente Del Bosque and has used his time off to reflect on his season thus far. The striker has spoken of his failure to turn up to pre-season training in shape, while he has also passionately backed his boss.
This has been a crazy season for Chelsea and it only seems to be getting more complicated.
Next: Chelsea FC v Southampton: Post-Match Reflections