The disaster class season continues on for Chelsea, who have lost six straight Premier League fixures, getting out-scored 14-1 over that span. In falling 3-1 to relegation scrappers Nottingham Forest on Monday, they finally ended a goal scoring drought that had exceeded nine hours! The loss contained an injury scare that was, simply put, much bigger than mere football. Teenager Jesse Derry made his first appearance in a league fixture for the Chelsea senior team, but it obviously did not go as had been hoped.
Chelsea at Liverpool FYIs
Kickoff- Saturday May 9, Anfield, Liverpool, UK, 12:30 pm
Team News: Liverpool Chelsea
Premier League Standing:
Liverpool- 4th, 58 points, close to clinching UCL qualification
Chelsea- 9th, 48 points, three pts outside of UECL qualification
Google Result Probability- Liverpool win 51%, Draw 24%, Chelsea win 25%
Blues Team News
There was a frightening collision of heads between Derry and Forest’s Zach Abbott at the stroke of halftime at Stamford Bridge. There was a long delay, and Derry required treatment on the pitch, before getting stretchered off. It was a frightening scenario, to say the least, but Jesse Derry is going to be okay.
“All signs positive at the moment, so we’re hopeful he’s in a good condition and from what we’ve heard, it’s positive,” said Calum McFarlane, who replaced the sacked Liam Rosenior as manager until the end of the season.
“Gutted for Jesse, I thought he did well in the game. He gave us a threat – a massive moment for him that has ended sadly.”
Derry is ruled out for the weekend trip to Liverpool, but at least the situation wasn’t anything much more serious/worse. Meanwhile goalkeeper Rob Sanchez also suffered a head injury in the same game.
“We’re hearing positive signs from Jesse and Rob and I hope the Nottingham Forest players are okay as well,” McFarlane said. “But yeah, I’m pleased for Jesse’s performance. I thought he performed well while he was on the pitch, but there’s probably more important things to think about right now.”
Elsewhere Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are both 50/50 propositions for this Saturday lunchtime fixture due to minor injuries.
“Nothing serious, just both have taken knocks in trainin,” McFarlane said. “So we’re just managing it.”
Otherwise the Blues fitness/injury/unavailability situation remains the same.
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.