Having watched Ricardo Carvalho limp off against Manchester United on Sunday, the news that’s followed isn’t what we’d hoped for.
Yesterday, the club confirmed Carvalho suffered ligament damage in the early stages of the game and is likely to be out for up to a month. Alex impressed against United with a solid display despite the long periods he spends out of the side but John Terry and Alex aren’t exactly the best pairing where pace is concerned. So Carvalho’s absence could be significant, particularly when you take into account the effect on Cech’s performances when he doesn’t have the familiar pairing of Carvalho and Terry in front of goal.
Early reports seem to suggest Chelsea are hoping to see Carvalho back after the next international break, just in time for our Champions League game against Roma next month.
But, seeing as it wouldn’t be Chelsea if our injury problems ended there, we’ve also heard that after tearing a thigh muscle during the warm-up for Sunday’s game, Deco will also be missing for the next couple of weeks. His impressive start to the season was only highlighted by the lack of creativity in the Chelsea midfield Sunday, so there might not be too much to get excited about in the games against Portsmouth, CFR Cluj, Stoke and Villa, which he looks set to miss.
Of course, we’ve still got a semi-fit Ballack and Drogba, both of whom are making returns from time out and Michael Essien remains a long-term casualty, although news on his recovery appears good so far and Mineiro looks increasingly likely to arrive as cover for Obi Mikel.
Fingers crossed for speedy recoveries all round.
Blue is the colour
