Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is not a happy man right now as the Blues prepare for their return to action tonight.
They take on Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, with a result crucial in their quest to qualify for European football next season.
Pochettino is having to think hard on his feet as far as team selection goes, with injuries hitting them harder than any other team in the Premier League right now.
He confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he would be without both Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva for the London derby, leaving him short on options at the back.
While he will have been buoyed by the positive news that Levi Colwill was approaching his return, he may need to look to the youth in order to fulfil a side tonight.
One player who has not been available near enough all season is Romeo Lavia, completing less than 90 minutes in his debut season.
The midfielder was signed with a lot of promise that he would compete with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, however this has not been the case this season.
Mauricio Pochettino annoyed he is getting blame for injuries
Some sections of the fanbase have felt as if they can put the blame for this scenario on Pochettino, something which has not left the Argentine best pleased.
He said to the Mail Online: “They say [Romeo] Lavia isn’t here because of Pochettino. But I never trained with Lavia. We arrived from a different club, not from Mars, to manage footballers. It is disrespectful from people bored at home using social media.”
It has been a quiet criticism of Pochettino’s career as a manager that injury issues have affected his side, however never to the magnitude that they have Chelsea this season.
England loses eigth European spot
There is no time to moan though, with the Blues running out of games left to rescue a place in Europe next season.
After a stellar performance from Ian Maatsen and co in the Champions League last night, English clubs will need to finish in the top seven to achieve this feat.
Related Topics
