Chelsea captain Gary Cahill knows that the Blues must avoid injuries if they are to be successful this season. He indeed seems concerned by the lack of squad depth.
Chelsea have failed to strengthen appropriately in the transfer window. That is well documented. While indirectly addressing the issue, club captain Gary Cahill admitted that the Blues need to avoid injuries.
The lack of depth was laid bare at Wembley, when Arsenal’s programme squad list almost ran double the length of Chelsea’s.
"The back of the programme was interesting…In terms of quality we’ve certainly got that and you just have to hope we don’t have too many injuries. – via BBC Sport"
The Blues have sent a lot of players out on loan again. They have also sold the likes of Nemanja Matic, Nathaniel Chalobah and Nathan Ake. Meanwhile, Diego Costa and Kenedy are unlikely to feature at all.
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The squad is much thinner than last season and the club have done little about it, despite the heavier schedule this term. Chelsea will be regularly playing twice a week with the Champions League entering their fixture list.
The starting eleven at full strength is capable of beating anyone on their day. However, injuries and fatigue are a feature of any campaign for a big club and they must have the resources to deal with it. Chelsea, at the moment, do not.
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The Blues are already in the middle of a mini crisis. Eden Hazard is out injured (and will continue to be for the foreseeable future) while Victor Moses is suspended. Chelsea’s ability to cope with absences is already being tested in the first weekend of the season. Signs from the Wembley performance are not too encouraging.
All is not lost, though. There is still half a month left to go until the transfer window slams shut in all its pomp and glory. Chelsea can still bring in players, but with European leagues close to kicking off, the task is difficult.
The Blues will need to table lucrative bids or take advantage of situations like that of Danny Rose. He apparently wants out and is interested in a Stamford Bridge switch. Chelsea must pounce and make an offer.
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What do you think? Are Chelsea in genuine trouble? Let us know in the comments below!