Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca spent a fair bit of time in yesterday’s pre-match press conference highlighting our potential issues with depth in the center back ranks, with Levi Colwill set to miss the season, and neither Wesley Fofana or Benoît Badiashile fully fit, and it looks like we might in fact have a bit of a crisis on our hands already.
According to The Times, Tosin Adarabioyo is set to miss tomorrow’s season opener against Crystal Palace after picking up a “small issue” in training yesterday. While the injury is “not thought to be serious”, he will be held out as a “precautionary measure”. Tosin was set to deputize for Colwill in the center of Maresca’s defense.
“When we build, we build with Levi in the middle. It’s different to playing on the left side. Last year we played 64 games and we played 64 games with Levi and Tosin. Now Levi is out. The only one that can do that job well is Tosin.
“The one in the middle is the one that recognises solutions, he is the one most of the time that has to break lines and in my way they are so, so important.”
-Enzo Maresca; source: The Times
Trevoh Chalobah, who’s been deemed fit despite appearing to twist his ankle in last Sunday’s friendly, and youngsters Josh Acheampong and mystery-man Aarón Anselmino are the two center backs left standing for tomorrow’s game. New signing Jorrel Hato can also deputize in a pinch, as can Reece James, in theory. Wesley Fofana might also be available but even if he is, he’s surely not fit enough to actually start and play the whole game.