Chelsea set to be without a season-high 14 PLAYERS for Tottenham clash... as Mauricio Pochettino tries to explain crippling injury crisis that has put two more stars on the shelf

6 months ago 34

Chelsea will be without a number of senior players for the foreseeable future
The likes of Enzo Fernandez and Reece James remain on the treatment table
Is the North London Derby the best clash in the Premier League? Listen to the It's All Kicking Off! podcast

By Kieran Gill

Published: 14:49 BST, 1 May 2024 | Updated: 14:49 BST, 1 May 2024

Mauricio Pochettino has addressed Chelsea's injury crisis, saying there is 'no good news' ahead of facing his former club Tottenham after the club named 14 players on their latest crocked list.

Chelsea host their biggest rivals at Stamford Bridge – a night game which will bring back memories of the 2016 Battle of the Bridge – but will do so without two central defenders in Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi after both were new additions on the treatment table.

Other players sidelined include Raheem Sterling, Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia. Though Levi Colwill and Christopher Nkunku are back in training at Cobham, Pochettino says neither are set to be ready to return for Tottenham.

Chelsea have the chance to take a big step towards securing European football for next season while Tottenham want to get their top-four push back on track after losing to Arsenal.

'No good news because we cannot recover any players from the list but have added Thiago and Disasi,' Pochettino said. 'They will not be available.'

Mauricio Pochettino has addressed Chelsea's injury crisis ahead of their clash with Tottenham

Thiago Silva (left) and Axel Disasi (right) are the latest players to join the list of absentees

The likes of Raheem Sterling (left) and Enzo Fernandez (right) are also unavailable for selection

On whether Chelsea have gotten to the bottom of their injury crisis, Pochettino said: 'Always things we can do better, of course. We all feel the responsibility. Then it is too many circumstances to explain why. It is difficult to explain with one word or sentence.

'Of course, we are working to try and improve. We have amazing medical staff, performance area, coaching staff – we all have experience managing clubs and being in this business. When some circumstances arrive, sometimes it can happen, of course we need to put all of the information on the table and to be better next season.

'We need to improve with communications, dynamics, strategies, everything that we need to put our knowledge to try and improve. But I think the quality is here.'