Yesterday’s 4-0 score-line against Malmö suggests a comfortable afternoon for Chelsea, but it came at a significant cost. Chelsea’s one and only out-and-out striker picked up an ankle injury which was serious enough for him to be taken straight to the treatment table. To make matters worse, few moments later, his only probable replacement Timo Werner also pulled up lame. The German injured his hamstring but at least returned to the bench to see Chelsea cruise through the remainder of the match.
With Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham gone and no other striker in the team, Chelsea now face a serious problem. Thomas Tuchel said post-match that both players will miss a few games. Their opponents last night were a team who had lost five Champions League games in a row, without scoring and conceding 24 goals. So perhaps Tuchel could have rested at least one of his two preferred strikers. On the other hand, you could argue that this was the perfect game for them two to build some chemistry.
Tuchel now has a decision to make with games coming thick and fast
The obvious choice is to deploy Kai Havertz as a false-nine. The rest of the team can be chopped and changed, the main problem is who will the three (or two) play up front. He may not have a striker, but among the options Tuchel has, only Havertz seems to be capable of filling that role. He has played there before and his height makes him competitive in the air. The German hasn’t exactly kicked on from his Champions League winning goal, so this could be the golden opportunity he needs.
Christian Pulisic is still recovering from his ankle injury suffered while representing his country in September. Ahead of last night’s game, Tuchel said that the American has suffered further setbacks on his road to recovery. That rules the American out for the foreseeable future.
Along side Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi is a player deserving a shout out. He replaced Timo Werner yesterday and operating with a lot more freedom, was able to show glimpses of his best. He made a couple of driving runs with pace and registered the assist for Havertz’s goal.
It’s also inevitable that Mason Mount will soon get back to his best. For Chelsea and Tuchel, it needs to happen faster. Mount has had a slow start to the season after returning late from EUROs, but his team needs him to step up now in tough times. There’s no doubting his quality, and he has to be the third forward in the team.
Should Tuchel opt for a more defensive set up, he can sacrifice either one of Mount or Hudson-Odoi for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Chelsea academy star has risen from the cold to make a sizeable claim for a starting XI berth. He can provide that extra cover in midfield, while also carry the ball from deep in midfield to start attacks.
Is Lukaku’s injury a blessing in disguise?
Let’s be honest, Lukaku wasn’t influencing games as much as he should do. He had not scored in six games prior to the injury (seven if you include yesterday’s game). So, it’s not like Chelsea’s attack will suffer severely because he wasn’t contributing much to it. Tuchel justified his barren run by pointing at his busy schedule over the summer. Perhaps a little bit of rest, which he seemingly wouldn’t have got otherwise, is exactly what he requires.
Simultaneously, the likes of Havertz and Mount are two players out of form. With Lukaku out, onus will be on them to step up. This is the best opportunity for them to rediscover themselves as they’ll definitely get more minutes on the field.
Luckily for Chelsea, they are in the midst of a favourable run of fixtures. However, they can’t take anything for granted and any kind of slip up could prove costly.