Antonio Conte faces selection crisis as injury concerns mount at Chelsea
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte faces a selection crisis at Chelsea after Tiemoue Bakayoko and David Luiz both picked up knocks in the side’s 3-3 draw with Roma on Wednesday night.
The injury concerns leave Chelsea’s squad looking notably thin for the coming weeks, particularly in midfield.
N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater are also missing through injury, along with first choice wing-back Victor Moses.
Conte described the numerous absentees as an “emergency situation” for his side.
Of Luiz he said: “He has a little problem in his calf. In this moment, I can't risk my players, because we are playing always the same players so it's very difficult now to risk someone and to lose him for many times.”
He added that Bakayoko had picked up a pain in his groin during the game.
“It’s not about injuries, but trying to get the best out of the team,” he said. “The same players have been going all the time since pre-season. We’ve got three injuries, not seven or eight, but it’s still an emergency situation for us.”
The current injury crisis leaves Conte short of options for this weekend’s Premier League clash with Watford which, as a result, could see the Italian call upon a number of the club’s second-string players.
