Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri, has said that mounting injuries have left his team “in trouble”, after Olivier Giroud suffered suspected ankle ligament damage, during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Giroud left the field on crutches in the 76th minute, after being injured by a James Tomkins tackle, while scoring an offside goal.
Chelsea held onto the lead
Sarri was forced to leave Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi out of his squad for the game due to injury, and may now be without Giroud for several weeks, with Chelsea’s workload showing no sign of easing in a busy January.
“The problem is his ankle. I don’t know the severity. We have to wait for [Monday]. 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 [on Monday].
“In the last few days, we were a bit unlucky. Yesterday [Saturday], in 10 minutes we had three injuries — Fabregas, [Loftus-Cheek] and [Danny] 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,” Sarri said.
