Pochettino admits he will struggle to replace key Chelsea duo as injury crisis rumbles on

Mauricio Pochettino believes he cannot replace Reece James and Ben Chilwell in the Chelsea XI

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about why he cannot replace Ben Chilwell and Reece James, as both fullbacks have struggled with recurring injuries of late.

Chilwell is another victim of the hamstring injury he picked up against Brighton & Hove Albion, while James recovers from the same injury he suffered against Liverpool on opening day this season. It remains his only competitive game for the Blues since being handed the armband.

The Blues will next face Fulham on Monday, and Pochettino will have a dilemma as to whom to start on right and left-back given that Guston has been banned for a few games after receiving a red card in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

This has frustrated the Argentine manager, as he cannot replace them despite having Ian Maatsen, Malo Gusto, and Ben Chilwell as their backups. Speaking to the press on Friday night, (h/t Express) he claimed:

“In all the clubs, important players are always missed when they don’t play. Of course, we always miss top players. When they are at their best, of course they are some of the best in the world.”

“All of the team, we miss some important players. There’s only one Reece James and one Ben Chilwell. The club tried with Malo Gusto, Marc Cucurella, and Levi [Colwill] to play there.”

Given the quality, Pochettino is right to assess the players unavailable to him. Chilwell and James are amongst the best full-backs in the league and replacing that elite quality and experience is a huge task.

Since Chilwell and James have been with the club for many years and together won the 2020–21 Champions League, it is clear that they possess distinctive characteristics from other backup choices. As a result of their success, they have now been named captain and vice-captain, respectively.

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Against Fulham, Pochettino will face a difficult decision. But given that Cucurella was effective against Brighton, he could use the former Seagulls player or Axel Disasi in the right-back spot. Maatsen, who hasn’t served in a left-back role, could fill in against the Cottagers. We have reliable backups of these, so there is no need to be concerned.