Thomas Tuchel gives injury update on Chelsea wing-back Reece James ahead of Liverpool clash
Thomas Tuchel has provided an update regarding the injury that the Chelsea youngster Reece James had picked up ahead of the match against Liverpool tomorrow. The latter had suffered the blow during the draw against Brighton and Hove Albion in Premier League.
James is bound to be out for the match against the Reds, which would be a damning blow to the Blues, who would also miss Ben Chilwell after he had undergone surgery earlier. Chilwell is set to be on the sidelines for the rest of the season as part of his recovery.
Speaking in the pre-match presser (h/t Football.London), Tuchel has expressed that since it is a muscle injury, they have to wait to get an idea about what the recovery time would be. He added that the images of the hamstring would be better if the tests get done after a specific period.
“With Reecey, still it is a hamstring injury, a muscle injury. Like always with muscle injuries, the examination is a bit later because the images are better if you wait a bit. Those images will be later today I guess and then we will know more about it.”
Major blow
It is frustrating to see the injury crisis we are going through, as it seems to keep plaguing us for a while. Marcos Alonso would be our only natural wing-back going into the clash against Jurgen Klopp’s side. Cesar Azpilicueta could play a makeshift role on the right side, but it would not be of the same effect.
The 22-year-old has arguably been our best performer this season, and his void would leave a huge hole offensively and defensively. It remains to be seen whether Alonso and Azpilicueta – who would probably start on the right- would step up and provide a similar impact as our first choice wing-backs.
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The latest update from Daily Mail Online indicates that the Blues star underwent the scans, which confirmed that he had suffered a hamstring tear on his leg. Surgery is not required, which would be a sigh of relief, but he is expected to be out for two months, which pours more water to our plans of challenging for multiple titles.
The good news is that the Englishman does not require surgery which reduces the time he would be out on the sidelines. The bad news is how the period that he has got injured is one of the worst, as one look at the schedule would tell the whole picture. The next two months are filled with fixtures that pose a challenge to us, and his lack of involvement is bound to affect us.