When it rains, it pours for Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino, and the monsoon season is currently upon us. Prior to the international break in October, the results have slightly improved, but expectations for a wave of top players returning have been muted.
Armando Broja is back in action, although it appears that he was compelled to return sooner rather than later out of need. For the first time since before the previous break, Noni Madueke made a comeback to the first team against Fulham and played a few minutes toward the conclusion of the 2-0 victory.
There is hope that the club captain will be back when domestic action gets underway again after being handed a ban by the FA that would rule him out of the trip to Burnley had he been fit anyway. Benoit Badiashile had been targeting this period in early October but is yet to be seen this term, Romeo Lavia is amongst those looking towards November rather than the immediate future.
That has tempered some of the gradually growing confidence at Stamford Bridge as well as the ongoing concern over Moises Caicedo’s fitness. The Ecuadorian international, who recently signed with Chelsea, appears to have succumbed to the same curse that afflicted many players before him.
Due to an injury he sustained while playing for his nation, he missed the first game following the previous break and has been dealing with a knee issue ever since. He went down holding his leg at the conclusion of the victory at Craven Cottage, and he is now a bothersome new question for the journey to Turf Moor.
“I hope there is nothing wrong, but it was a contusion,” Pochettino remarked following the game. There is additional concern now that the Blues are back in training ahead of the game because the 21-year-old wasn’t shown in pictures. Caicedo, like James, was not mentioned in any club coverage and doesn’t seem to have participated again.
Although he did miss the majority of the preparation for last week’s game against Aston Villa and still make the squad, this is a disappointing blow. Pochettino received a boost, and it was much-needed.
It wasn’t exactly the perfect night for Mykhailo Mudryk on Monday, despite the fact that he had scored the game’s first goal and his first in Chelsea blue. With his own knock, he had to leave the field at halftime. Although Mudryk has had fitness issues since preseason, the first 45 minutes of the game featured one of his most inspirational displays to date as he marauded down the left flank alongside Levi Colwill.
The 22-year-old had a disjointed tour of America after coming back from the Under-21 European Championships far from match ready. That has carried over into this season with a slow start but he has now picked up and started to deliver on the promise that prompted Chelsea to spend £62million to sign him.
“He was doing well,” Pochettino told Sky Sports after the game. “[It is] unlucky that at half time he felt something in his quad but we hope that it is not a big issue and he will be ready for Saturday.”
Mudryk, unlike Caicedo and James, has been spotted at the Cobham training base and also in the gym but there’s no shock there. It means he is likely to be ready to play another big role for the Blues.