Chelsea are in a very rought patch right now. Any time you have supporter protests outside the stadium, it can only mean that things are going rather badly. Chelsea are in serious danger of missing out on Champions League play next season, and while there are several reasons for that, injuries are at the top of that list. They will be getting some of their guys back, sooner rather than later. Over the weekend, Blues boss Liam Rosenior provided updates on team captain Reece James and defensive stalwart Levi Colwill.
We start with the latter, whom we initially thought was ruled out for the season, due to a knee injury.
Chelsea FC at Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. April 21, 8pm, AMEX Stadium, Brighton and Hove, UK
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 35% Draw 26% Brighton win 39%
Chelsea Injury/Fitness Information: Team News Longer Term Injury Updates
PL Form: Chelsea WLLLL Brighton LWWWD
Premier League Standings: Chelsea 6th, 48 pts Brighton 9th, 47 pts
Chelsea Injury Updates
Colwill is actually ahead of schedule in his recovery process, with Rosenior saying on Friday: “Levi will play some minutes with the U21s tomorrow, which is fantastic for him. I want to make sure he is 100 per cent right in terms of his match fitness before we consider him for our first team.”
That’s a pretty big breakthrough, for his situation, and given the timeline here, one might think he’ll be back in action sometime over the next couple of weeks. As for James, Rosenior didn’t say much about the fullback’s thigh injury, other than:
“Reece is a little bit further away.”
It is very doubtful we see him in action on Tuesday night at Brighton, but he could be back sometime in late April or early May.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.