Following Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Everton, Liam Rosenior said his team needed the international break.
Even so, it is still not something that the Chelsea manager would have completely welcomed. His players have been involved in so much football this season, so the fear of injuries will be in the back of his mind.
Thankfully for Rosenior, one of his key players has definitely avoided sustaining a fitness problem during this round of international fixtures.
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Malo Gusto rested at the perfect time
Malo Gusto has been a very important player for Chelsea in the current campaign, making 40 appearances in all competitions.
The defender was named in France’s matchday squad for their 3-1 win against Colombia but did not play.
That is excellent news for Rosenior, who is already without his other right-back, Reece James, because of a hamstring injury.
Ultimately, Didier Deschamps could not have rested Gusto at a better time if you are a Chelsea fan. A breather should really benefit the 22-year-old, especially after he played almost the full 90 minutes in France’s 2-1 victory over Brazil the game before.
Franceâs Malo Gusto (2) controls the ball during an international pre-World Cup friendly match between Brazil and France
Photo by Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu via Getty Images
The 2018 World Cup winners do not have any more matches to play, so Gusto should be returning to Cobham unscathed.
Chelsea are on a bad run of form, losing all of their four previous games before the international break, and things are only going to get harder. Their next two Premier League matches are against Manchester City and Manchester United.
With that in mind, it will come as a huge relief to Rosenior that nothing has happened to Gusto. To be without the France international and James at this stage of the season would have been devastating.
Hopefully, James is not out for too long. Chelsea need him and it would be sad to watch the club captain miss another World Cup because of injury. For now, a lot of responsibility will fall onto Gusto, who recently spoke about life under Rosenior.
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