Chelsea Women: Emma Hayes’ side receives another blow in central defense

If it looked like the injury list for the Chelsea Women could not get worse, Emma Hayes gets even more bad news in a position that is already thin.

With Millie Bright recently pictured on crutches on social media this past week, there is no room for other issues in Chelsea’s central defense. Ahead of a highly anticipated contest between a reinvigorated French national team and the defending Gold Medal winner Canada, Chelsea Women’s Kadeisha Buchanan departed her national team camp due to an injury she obtained before her national team duty.

This is a brutal blow to an Emma Hayes-led side that has its eyes set on finishing the campaign with three major trophies. Chelsea Women were able to hang on against Lyon without Bright, but with Buchanan now expected to miss an unknown amount of time, the task to defeat Barcelona becomes overwhelmingly difficult. There is not a time table currently for her return, but even if it is just a week or two, the Blues will need to fill the gaps in two of the most important fixtures of the campaign so far.

Chelsea Women will feel the absence of Kadeisha Buchanan

With Aniek Nouwen over in Italy on loan, the west Londoners are going to have to mix and match with the defenders that are still match-fit. Keeping with the 4-3-3 formation that the Blues have utilized throughout this season, Hayes is most likely going to have Magdalena Eriksson and Jess Carter occupy the center of the back four with Ève Périsset, and Niamh Charles making up the wings. Beyond that, Chelsea Women do not have much room to maneuver. Champions League hero Maren Mjelde could find herself playing much more time than she has this season, filling in wherever Hayes may need in the backline.

Buchanan’s absence, while it may not be long-term delivers a brutal blow to the Blues’ ambitions heading into the end of the campaign.

The club’s most ideal center back pairing is more than likely not going to be prepared to take on an intimidating Barcelona side over two legs. This was the campaign in which this team was going to break through in the Champions League after last season’s disappointment. Hayes and the rest of the team have admitted that the number of matches over such a short period of time has hurt the club. Injuries are going to happen when you are competing at such a high level in more than just two competitions.

Buchanan not only joins Bright, but Fran Kirby, Pernille Harder, Kateřina Svitková, and Melanie Leupolz on the laundry list of injuries. According the Canadian women’s national team head coach Beverly Priestman, this is not an injury that should keep the player out for the World Cup this summer. She described as a knock that is not long-term, but not something where she will be able to be ready this week.

For Canada, it may not be damaging, but for the West Londoners, this is not the kind of news the club wanted to receive in the final international window before the end of the season. Buchanan has been at the top of her game over the past few months following what was a difficult transition from the French top-flight to the Women’s Super League. Her presence, especially against a team of Barcelona’s caliber is paramount. Without her, there is going to be a whole lot more pressure on the six defenders that are still fit on the roster.