The fixture congestion of the festive period is creating a lot of worries and concerns for Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri as the injuries continue to pile up for his team. Striker Olivier Giroud is the latest player added to the unavailable for selection list that also includes Pedro, Cesc Fabregas, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Danny Drinkwater and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Giroud left the pitch on crutches today in the 76′ as Chelsea won 1-0 at Crystal Palace. He suffered an ankle injury, the full extent of which will probably not be known until tomorrow. Sarri will get at least some update on the situation later tonight.
“The problem is his ankle. I don’t know the severity. We have to wait for (news later). I think that, later in the evening, I will see the doctor for the first results, but I think the real result will only be known (tomorrow), Sarri said after victory, which provided them a bigger current cushion on fifth place Arsenal in the table.
Chelsea now sit fourth, sandwiched between two fellow London clubs (two behind second place Tottenham Hotspur, five ahead of fifth place Arsenal).
“In the last few days we were a but unlucky. Yesterday in 10 minutes we had three injuries, Fabregas and Drinkwater, then Giroud and we were already without Pedro and (Hudson-Odoi).
“We are in trouble because, in January, we have to play every three days. Fabregas has a neck problem. The injury was in the last five minutes of training, so I’m not sure whether he has to rest for two or 10 days. I will have a meeting with the doctor this evening.”
As Sarri pointed out, the games are coming fast and furious for the Blues, so they will indeed need all hands on deck. They take on Southampton on Wednesday in a league fixture, then Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. Then, three days later, comes the first leg of their semifinal tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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