This weekend, Chelsea are set to take on the most in-form team in the Premier League, Aston Villa. Unai Emery's side have been immense in recent times and it will be a difficult task for Enzo Maresca's team to cope with the challenge that they will present. It all depends on which version of the Blues turns up.
If it is the team that cruised past Barcelona and PSG, then this will be a winnable game for sure. On the other hand, if it is the version of Chelsea that lost to relegation contenders Leeds United and midtable Atalanta, then we could be in for a long day.
One of the primary reasons behind Chelsea's inconsistent form is their long list of injury problems. It has resulted in there not being a consistent balance in Maresca's team as the manager has had to constantly tweak his line-ups.
Unfortunately, there is another fresh injury for Chelsea to deal with now. It is to summer signing Jorrel Hato, who won't be available against Aston Villa. Maresca has given an update on the Dutch international's situation.
'He is out for tomorrow’s game' - Enzo Maresca confirms new Chelsea injury
As reported by Chelsea's official website, Maresca said ahead of the Aston Villa matchup:
"Hato suffered an injury during the warm-up against Newcastle, at half-time. He is out for tomorrow’s game."
To be honest, even if Hato were available, there is very little chance that he would have been starting against Aston Villa. The highly-regarded Ajax academy graduate has struggled since his move to Stamford Bridge.
He has not settled in as well as many would have hoped. As a result, Hato has only made nine appearances and there have been some rumours that the Dutch international could be sent out on loan in order to help him find his feet.
Now, it is clear that the Chelsea fans need to show a bit more patience with Hato. He is just 19 years of age and it is only natural that he has struggled a bit in a different league. Sending him out on loan would not be the worst idea in the world but ideally, you would want him to remain in England and learn to adjust to the physicality and pace of the Premier League rather than send him somewhere else. Of course, it is possible that the club have a different view of his development and keep him.