Chelsea: Minor injury crisis will reveal the depth of the Blues credentials

The day before Chelsea played Malmo, Thomas Tuchel mentioned how much his players were being used by the national teams. What he didn’t really mention was just how much he was also using some players. That’s nothing new (Mason Mount and Timo Werner especially ran the gauntlet for Tuchel last year), but eventually these things come to a head.

Both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner came off injured against Malmo. A result of overplaying? If nothing else, it’s a contributing factor. Fatigue makes injuries more likely and since the switch to 3-5-2 became more pronounced, both Werner and Lukaku have been playing a lot. There was always the question at the back of the mind as to what would happen if one was injured. Now that question becomes about both.

With no recognized striker that is fit, the Blues will now have to turn to alternative options. The front three are all relatively interchangeable so that isn’t a big deal, but that depth has been further hurt by Christian Pulisic’s prolonged abscense and Hakim Ziyech’s ongoing issues (whatever they may be). Further straining the depth is Kai Havertz and Mason Mount have yet to been at their best for any consistent period of time.

With Lukaku and Werner both likely out for at least the next two or three matches, others will have to step up. Luckily, Chelsea’s run is lighter from now to break but still not one to be underestimated. These next few games will test the credentials of Chelsea’s depth.

First and foremost, this is surely a chance for Mount and Havertz to find their feet once again. Both saw out the Malmo match after the injuries and did much  better than they have been in other games this season. Given how much they were relied upon last season, it seems a pretty simple leap of faith that they’ll be relied on until Lukaku and Werner return (and one possibly afterwards).

After that, this is a huge chance for Callum Hudson-Odoi. Tuchel seems to have slowly warmed to the idea of him at left wing and he’s been looking pretty good as of late. As things stand, there is little reason not to include him in some front three combination. He can keep showing what he’s made of in his “preferred” role.

This is also a good chance for Ziyech and Ross Barkley to see minutes. Both are closer to the bottom of the depth chart than the top and it is getting harder to see either around next season. That being said, they both have something they can offer and the next few weeks may be a good opportunity for them.

Any notions of a formation change are also surely put on hold for now. 3-5-2 isn’t really viable without one of Werner or Lukaku and there really aren’t enough fit bodies to justify a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 like some have clamored for as of late. Until more players return to fitness, 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 is surely the play.

Of course, this minor injury crisis may cause Tuchel to rethink some of his rotation, especially with the slate of matches coming up. He may look at N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, and perhaps even Edouard Mendy with concern. The Blues built a deep squad in order to rotate and now is surely the time.

Injuries happen, but they aren’t always random. The best thing that can be done with this easier set of matches is to rotate and give players rest. Too much of that is already enforced and this run is going to test Chelsea’s credentials in one way or the other.