Chelsea kicked off their 2023/24 campaign with a 1-1 draw vs Liverpool.
During that game, Chelsea were subject to yet another Reece James injury issue.
The right-back had a superb game and tormented Andy Robertson for much of the clash. However, in what is becoming a recurring issue for James, it looked as though he was taken off late on with yet another injury.
However, speaking post-match, Mauricio Pochettino offered a fairly positive update.
Pochettino confirmed the right-back was simply ‘tired’ and, after a pre-season beset by injury, the manager wanted a zero-risk approach to his captain’s wellbeing:
“The first thing we did when we arrived was to assess and analyse all of the players from the past,” he said. “He was injured for three or four months. “This pre-season was tough for him, we didn’t want to take any risk and that is why at 80 minutes, we wanted to avoid the risk.”
Finally, Benoit Badiashile picked up a hamstring injury at the end of last season and missed the entirety of Chelsea’s pre-season. But last week the stopper posted that he had returned to training, suggesting a return is not too far away.
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