Chelsea injury news as the Blues progress to the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup with a tough fixture list ahead of them
Cole Palmer was a standout performer against Blackburn
It's a competition that many have devalued over the years, perhaps Chelsea themselves - it hasn't been won by the west Londoners since 2015 though there have been two final losses on penalties and a semi-final defeat in there - yet it feels bigger than usual. With no midweek European games on the agenda and the top four already breaking clear of Mauricio Pochettino's men, it is one of the chances for silverware.
As the draw opens up with Manchester United and Arsenal joining Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City in exiting early, there is a chance to give the trophy hungry supporters another taste of glory. It's back to league action first though and Pochettino now has a key run of games coming up, luckily the squad is starting to take some shape for it.
In what was a massive boost for the side as Reece James returned to the starting lineup for the second time this season. He had made substitute appearances in the last two games but significantly ramped up his work ahead of a trip to Tottenham on Monday here. The 23-year-old played 60 minutes and went off after the second goal of the game.
"The plan was to check at half time how he feel and how he was," Pochettino explained beforehand. "After 15 minutes [of the second half] he started to feel tired and we were checking from the second half. He was a little bit tired and we need to be careful how we manage him.
"Of course, I think in that moment we decide to make that change. It is important now to make the progression and to be careful about not to go back. Sometimes maybe to play 90 minutes and take some risk but we need to avoid this. It is true we cannot avoid 100% of the risk but the plan is to go little by little."
He added: "Is really important, always. When you decide that he's your captain it is important that they stay fit, can play and help the team. He’s an important player for us. He’s an amazing player, for me one of the best full backs in the world. Unlucky that we only play 70-75 minutes against Liverpool in the first game and until today didn't play.
"The temptation is ok, come on go and play 90 minutes but we need to be careful. Little by little he is going to get fit and cope with the demand of the games."
James himself was happy to be back in front of his own fans, writing on Instagram at full-time: "Long ass 3 months since I started, but good to get more minutes in the legs. thanks for the continued support. onto the quarter final. see you on monday night [salute emoji]."
The skipper will now be aiming to get his first league start since August 16 when Chelsea travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Joining him in that camp is Benoit Badiashile after the French defender returned to the lineup himself. Badiashile hasn't played since the end of last season but scored after just half an hour of being back.
On this front it was almost all good news for Pochettino but there are some ongoing issues to deal with too. Mykhailo Mudryk missed the game having also not played against Brentford due to a late knock. "Mudryk, maybe. [Christopher] Nkunku no," the boss said when asked ahead of the game who was available.
“Both Enzo and Misha felt something in training yesterday, small muscle injuries for them both," was the reason for being absent on Saturday. "We hoped they would be okay to be in the squad but unfortunately they aren't quite ready. Neither of them are big issues but we didn't want to take any risks.”
Mudryk will now be aiming to fight his way back into the thinking for the biggest test yet. Elsewhere Nkunku is still some way off playing with December an ambitious target for the 25-year-old. His replacement in the side, Cole Palmer, was once again a standout performer at SW6, notching his third assist of the season, but was seen hobbling around towards the end of the game.
Palmer was kept on the field until the 86th minute by which stage he looked to have overcome a kick to the ankle that saw him moving gingerly and trying not to put too much pressure on his foot. He was rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd though as his status as a fan favourite continued.
Chelsea will be keen to have their 21-year-old fit and firing for the game in north London but will still be without Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Romeo Lavia for the game whilst there is uncertainty over Armando Broja and Carney Chukwuemeka. The pair have been in training in recent weeks but both suffered setbacks having been intergrated back into the side.
Ben Chilwell is also out for the foreseeable and will be another targeting the December games and perhaps the quarter final tie with Newcastle. There's still games against Brighton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle in the league and Spurs to come first though and that's where the attention will now quickly shift.