The Blues will have to go without Reece James for an undetermined period of time following the captain’s injury.
Chelsea’s new club captain Reece James has been confirmed to have picked up a fresh hamstring injury after just the first week of the new Premier League campaign.
The 23-year-old was substituted for Malo Gusto late in the second half of the Blues’ opening weekend clash against Liverpool, leaving many fans wondering whether he was being subbed for fitness reasons or if there was something more serious at play.
However, manager Mauricio Pochettino gave the all-clear in his post-match press conference, at the time saying that he was simply ‘tired’ following his minutes in pre-season and that they wanted to ‘avoid the risk’ of repeating what supporters saw last season – a long-term knee injury which saw him miss out on the World Cup squad back in December.
Despite that though, it seems from reports that James will once again be set for a spell on the sidelines, leaving the captain’s armband in the possession of Ben Chilwell for the time being.
The situation now leaves the club with one out-and-out right-back in the form of Gusto, who arrived from Ligue 1 side Lyon in the January transfer window last season but was loaned back out to them until the summer.
Many will see this as his chance to gather some Premier League experience quickly after his impressive performances against the likes of Brighton, Wrexham and Newcastle in the Blues’ pre-season fixtures. However some might argue that throwing the 20-year-old into the deep end without any prior English top flight minutes wouldn’t be a smart idea. Well, Pochettino might have a third option.
Enter the £115million man – Moises Caicedo. While the Blues might’ve originally forked out a British record fee for a defensive midfielder to play off of Enzo Fernandez in their new system, he’s fully capable of playing in other positions around the pitch, including right-back.
In fact, he not only has Premier League experience in the position, he has experience in shutting down some of the league’s best attackers. Last season, he made three appearances for Brighton at right-back against top four finishers Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle.
Two of those came not only as wins but as clean sheets, with a 1-0 win over United and a 3-0 win over Arsenal late on in the campaign, while the Newcastle clash ended in a disappointing 4-1 loss. But following his call to action against Erik ten Hag’s side, Caicedo admitted he’d been ready to step up when needed.
“I’ve never played right-back. It was my first time at right-back and I tried to do my best,” he told the Argus at the time. “It was good. It was difficult because [Marcus] Rashford is a really hard winger to mark but I think I did it the best I could.
“Veltman, Tariq, Pascal are injured so he [De Zerbi] called me here, we had a meeting and he asked if I’d like to play in this position. I said, ‘If you want me to play there, I’d be delighted. I’ll try and do it the best I can’. It’s not my position that I usually play but I’ll try.
“He told me only three hours before the game. But you have to ready for anything on the pitch.”
His former manager Roberto De Zerbi has also sung his praises about him being able to play ‘in any position’ towards the end of their last campaign.
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Reece James picks up hamstring injury as Chelsea dealt major blow
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Mauricio Pochettino provides Reece James update after Chelsea substitution vs Liverpool
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James, Nkunku, Madueke – Chelsea injury news and return dates after huge Liverpool clash
Reece James picks up hamstring injury as Chelsea dealt major blow
Reece James picks up hamstring injury as Chelsea dealt major blow
Mauricio Pochettino provides Reece James update after Chelsea substitution vs Liverpool
Mauricio Pochettino provides Reece James update after Chelsea substitution vs Liverpool
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