Chelsea FC is set to face Everton FC this Saturday but will miss two key players. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech are still out with hamstring injuries and will remain out for weeks. However, Frank Lampard gives a bit of good news with word that Christian Pulisic may be available this weekend.
Pulisic has struggled through injuries and the Blues are taking a cautious approach on the 23-year-old player. Though his spate of injuries has become frustrating, the Blues manager is keeping the faith in the USMNT star, knowing that they have to carefully manage his minutes. Lampard considers him a work in progress, Sky Sports reported.
"I don't want to call this an injury that he had in midweek. If the game had been a different type of game, then maybe I would have used him,” the Chelsea boss stated. "We know his abilities, that's very clear, he showed them when he came on against Leeds last week.”
Lampard starts today's press conference with the team news, and reports the same situation as midweek with Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi out. Pulisic felt a niggle after the Leeds game but has trained normally this week. #EVECHE — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 10, 2020
Though available, Lampard will assess their opponent’s first before deciding on whether he will field in Pulisic. Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech will be out for a couple of more weeks and the Blues want to properly utilize their resources.
"If you look at our next four games - Everton, we go to Wolves, we have West Ham and then Arsenal on Boxing Day - you see how challenging that is in a short space of time because they all have strong teams,” Lampard explained.
Regardless of the injuries hounding the Blues, Chelsea is tipped as one of the favorites this season with their lineup. They are two points behind Tottenham and Liverpool but the 42-year-old remains unsure if they have met expectations thus far.
"The reality is probably somewhere in the middle of that and we need to find the consistency going forward. I'm not sure where we are against expectation. I always want more, that's just where I am," Lampard said.
The Blues could use all the help they can get moving forward. But for now, the immediate goal is to keep their head above water and make sure that they manage players and their injuries well.
Ziyech suffered a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Leeds United. On his end, Hudson-Odoi went down with a similar injury during training.
Lampard said that the injuries to the two players are not grave. But as far as seeing them back on the field, no official word has been given as of this writing.
