Chelsea approach ninth circle of hell with N’Golo Kante injury
By George Perry
Never say a situation can not get any worse. It always can and very well did for Chelsea when N’Golo Kante gingerly exited the pitch with an injury.
Chelsea finished last season with the second-best record in the Premier League in terms of man-games lost to injury and significant injuries. Their defence of that standing is off to a much worse start than their actual title defence.
N’Golo Kante came off in the 34th minute of France’s World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria. His body language was almost identical – and the time of substitution only one minute earlier – to Alvaro Morata’s when he left Chelsea’s game against Manchester City. The initial reports only mention a non-specific hamstring injury.
Chelsea may face a run of games without their most important player and their lead scorer. The Blues have a relatively easy run in the Premier League through October, but face AS Roma home and away in the Champions League. Regardless of the quality of opponents, Chelsea have six games in 17 days to see out the month. Then, on November 5, they host Manchester United.
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The 120 minutes starting at Atletico Madrid and ending with Morata’s exit against Manchester City may go down as the only span in which Antonio Conte was in full control of his lineup. This season he has dealt with injuries and suspensions to Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesc Fabregas. Now he must adapt to being without N’Golo Kante and Alvaro Morata, two players around whom the whole plan is built.
Both Kante and Morata suffered hamstring injuries, which carry additional risk. The hamstrings have some of the highest rates of re-injury in sports. Worse, the follow-up injury usually requires more time away than the first. As much as Conte will need these two back as soon as possible, the physio team could prudently delay their return to play to minimize the risk of a longer absence at a more critical time.
Conte surely did not plan on inserting Danny Drinkwater into the lineup immediately upon his recovery from injury, but he may have little choice. Drinkwater may not have the learning curve of substitute appearances and cup ties before joining the starting XI.
N’Golo Kante, like Eden Hazard, is an irreplaceable player. However, Chelsea barely have numerical depth at his and Alvaro Morata’s positions. The summer’s transfer and loan business continue to haunt Conte and the squad. The club gave up – permanently or temporarily – several players that could ameliorate the situation. Oh, for Tammy Abraham, Bertrand Traore or Nathaniel Chalobah to be in the mix.
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Chelsea are very fragile right now as individuals and as a squad. Key players are succumbing to injury, and the squad is increasingly shallow. The addition of the Champions League was expected to take its toll, but not this early. Chelsea’s only relief may be that their rivals are suffering a similar spate of injuries.