Chelsea manager has confirmed Reece James has a hamstring problem and admitted it was ‘sad’ to lose his captain at the start of the season.
James suffered a knee injury in October which ruled him out of England’s 2022 World Cup squad, before being ruled out for a further four weeks after the injury resurfaced during his first game back in December.
The Chelsea boss said of the latest setback ahead of the game against West Ham: “It’s a sad moment because he’s our captain.
“He was so excited and full of energy to be our captain. We are going to assess him day by day. For sure he’s going to [come back] stronger than he was. It’s a few weeks.”
It’s not all bad news as they have confirmed the signing of Romeo Lavia who adds to the earlier signing of Moises Caicedo, beating Liverpool to both signings and significantly improving the competition levels in the team.
They showed signs of progress in the game against Liverpool and will now hope that they get their first league win of the season when they face West Ham United this weekend.
Last season Chelsea won their first game and drew the second, picking four points from a possible six before the wheels came off for Thomas Tuchel and later both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino knows Chelsea have to keep improving if they are to exceed expectations and the West Ham game provides him with a perfect opportunity to get going.
Here is how we predict they will set up for the game:
1. Nicolas Jackson- 5
Jackson has to be the most willing runner in the Premier League. Always on his bike. he needs a goal though.
2. Enzo Fernandez -5
Will be gutted to have missed the penalty. That is where the game turned its head.
3. Conor Gallaghe-5.5
You know what you get from Conor Gallagher. Hard work and grit.
4. Malo Gusto- 5.5
Malo will get the his chance to impress now that James is injured. Looked assured for most of the time he was out there.