Chelsea have lost a Carabao Cup tie on penalties, and the bill may run well beyond one night. BBC Sport reports that defender Maxence Lacroix has suffered a serious hamstring injury and could be out until January, which would cost him up to 10 matches.
How the Injury Happened
The France international, 26, was hurt at the end of the first half of Wednesday's cup loss to Liverpool. He was sprinting back and trying to block a shot when the hamstring went. Sources inside the club, manager Xabi Alonso among them, have been careful about how long he will be gone. Speaking ahead of Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United, Alonso said the club do not expect Lacroix to be ready before the international break and described it as a few weeks out.
The gap between a few weeks and January is wide, and it is the sort of gap that tends to close in the pessimistic direction with hamstrings. Chelsea would hope for the shorter version.
A Big Loss for Alonso
Lacroix has been close to undroppable. He cost £52m from Crystal Palace in the summer, and he has started 10 of Chelsea's 11 games in all competitions, a tally only Morgan Rogers has beaten. For a side that has kept just one clean sheet in eight league matches, losing a regular at the back is a problem nobody needed. Chelsea sit fifth with 13 points from those eight games.
There is cover, on paper. Alonso has a six-man centre-back group of Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Aaron Anselmino, though Hato and Anselmino are both injured at the moment, and a few others have lined up at full-back. Asked about replacements, Alonso pointed to Fofana, Colwill and Acheampong, who he said could also play in the middle. He spoke warmly about Fofana, who missed his penalty in the shootout but, in the manager's words, was consistent and strong. Alonso added that Hato is an option when he is back with the team.
Other Chelsea Fitness News
The same press conference brought two further updates. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is having a special mask fitted so he can play while recovering from a broken jaw, and midfielder Moises Caicedo avoided injury despite worries after the midweek game with Liverpool.
The picture is manageable rather than comfortable. Chelsea can field a back line on Saturday, but if the January estimate proves right, Alonso will spend the next two months asking a thin group to keep the clean sheets that have been scarce all season.
Transfer and injury context: Maxence Lacroix, 26, joined Chelsea from Crystal Palace for £52m this summer. He could miss up to 10 matches. Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League with 13 points from eight games. Source: BBC Sport.
0 Comments