Chelsea: The injury woes might be good for others in Blues’ squad

Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic not being in the Chelsea squad may have some upside on a personal level for other players.

With Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz having a hamstring injury and COVID-19 respectively, I would first like to ask you to join me in hoping for nothing but the best for the two players. Regardless of who individuals play for, injuries and illnesses are always unfortunate, and I just hope that both are in good health. Everyone wants to see them playing football for Chelsea again as soon as humanly possible. However, we’ve seen some other players start to remind us what they are capable of in the two young stars’ absences.

We’ve already seen a resurgence in the play of Tammy Abraham since Pulisic had to withdraw from the squad. Abraham has netted goals in both of his most recent games for the club. Abraham’s inclusion does mean that new arrival Timo Werner has been playing on the wing, but he’s been absolutely fine out wide. In fact, he’s even started upping his production. These two up top really have started to push the Blues out of their baron run for goals by contributing in various ways. We’ve even seen Werner take over the penalty role from Jorginho which—although isn’t a direct result of Havertz or Pulisic missing—is still a good thing because we all know in most games Werner will be playing.

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Someone who’s really flourished in the absence of Havertz so far specifically has been Mason Mount. I’m well aware that everyone on this website loves to talk about Mount and the talent he possesses, and if you think I’m going to do exactly the same . . . you’re right. Mount has started to blossom into an absolutely fantastic talent in the central attacking midfield role. It is his best position, and we’ve started to see why he was rated so highly in the Chelsea academy. He’s beginning to display himself as a capable attacking midfielder, and a workhorse. His defensive game isn’t fantastic, but he’s going to give you everything he’s got for 90 minutes—no questions asked. There’s nothing Mount won’t do for the team and it’s starting to pay dividends to the players around him.

Someone who might have the most to gain from the current injury situation in the Chelsea squad is Callum Hudson-Odoi. It’s not a revolutionary thought to suggest that Hudson-Odoi could play on the wing in place of someone like Werner or Hakim Ziyech. This would allow them the opportunity to rest considering the compact schedule that awaits the Blues upon return from international duty. Hudson-Odoi has started to look like somewhat of a star this year when on the pitch, having a Man of the Match performance against West Bromwich Albion when he helped dig the squad out of a 3-0 hole. Hudson-Odoi has looked a lot better this year in comparison to other years, and giving him more game time with these notable absentees may work wonders for both the 20-year-old and the club.

Another somewhat forgotten man who may earn himself a chance with the injury concerns up front is Olivier Giroud. Yes, at this point, he is the club’s third choice striker behind Werner and Abraham. However, that does not diminish what a fantastic player Giroud is. He’s not flashy, he’s not going to do ten step overs or execute a perfect Cruyff turn and smack it on his weaker right foot into the corner. That’s not Giroud, and we all know that. But there’s no denying his sensational hold-up play. That might earn him a recall in games where the Blues aren’t going to be able to play 35 passes to get through the opponent, or in games where Werner’s pace is going to be stuffed with the opposition sitting deep in their own box.  A target man to get crosses into is always a fantastic option. This idea may see him earn himself some starts.

There’s probably more individuals the injuries work well for, but this is just a few. We could see Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Abraham and Mount all start to flourish in a more prominent role for the club in the absence of Havertz and Pulisic. Now, we all want Pulisic and Havertz to get healthy as soon as possible. I wish them nothing but good health and I hope you will join me in doing so.

Who do you think benefits the most from the attackers’ knocks? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!