LONDON: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday he was surprised Ben Chilwell started two games for England during the international break after the defender only recently returned from a knee injury.
Chilwell last started for Chelsea on March 2 against Brentford and has played just a few minutes for the London club since then, as a late substitute in the FA Cup against Leicester.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old featured for the whole of England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday, three days after spending 67 minutes on the field in a defeat by Brazil.
Chelsea currently have nine players ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League match with Burnley at Stamford Bridge, with several others to be assessed following international duty, including Chilwell — who suffered a blow to his knee against Belgium.
“He didn’t play after Brentford, then he played only a few minutes against Leicester,” said Pochettino. “(Then) he started two games (for England).
“It’s a surprise for us. It’s bad luck because he got a dead leg in the last moment against Belgium. Now we need to assess if he can be available.”
Enzo Fernandez, who played twice for Argentina in the United States during the break, will also have his fitness monitored ahead of this weekend’s match.
Chelsea confirmed earlier this week that Romeo Lavia would be out for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old midfielder who joined Chelsea from Southampton in pre-season for an initial £53 million (62 million euros), has managed just 32 minutes of first-team action this term following ankle and thigh problems.
“It’s a difficult situation for him,” said Pochettino. “He’s sad. He only played 30 minutes, for a new player at the club.
“When we signed him, he arrived with problems. He couldn’t train with us for the first months. Then when he was ready he suffered a problem in his feet.
“He recovered, he played 30 minutes then got injured in December. Then he didn’t have the possibility to train. It’s really sad news.”
But leading scorer Cole Palmer could face Burnley, with the 21-year-old having not featured in either of England’s recent games.
“I talked with him,” said Pochettino. “He’s a little bit disappointed because he couldn’t play with the national team.
“The first game he had a small problem,” the Argentinian added. “He thought maybe he’d play the second game. Now he’s OK, is training well. The plan is he will be available for Saturday.”
Chelsea are 11th in the table, with Burnley in the relegation zone.
Pochettino taken aback by Chilwell’s starts for England after injury
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Pochettino taken aback by Chilwell’s starts for England after injury
- Chilwell last started for Chelsea on March 2 against Brentford and has played just a few minutes for the London club since then
- Chelsea currently have nine players ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League match with Burnley
Tottenham names Igor Tudor interim manager till end of season
- The former Juventus coach takes over till the end of the season
- Tottenham’s next fixture is at home to local rival Arsenal on Feb. 22
LONDON: Tottenham appointed Igor Tudor as interim manager on Saturday after Thomas Frank was fired three days ago.
The former Juventus coach takes over till the end of the season at a time when Spurs are just five points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.
“It is an honor to join this club at an important moment,” Tudor said. “I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.
“There is strong quality in this playing squad and my job is to organize it, energize it and improve our results quickly.”
Juventus fired Tudor on Oct. 27 following three straight losses and an eight-match winless run, with the Italian powerhouse eighth in Serie A.
The 47-year-old Croatian was previously in charge of Lazio, Udinese, Marseille, Galatasaray and other clubs in Croatia and elsewhere.
Tudor is the sixth head coach in less than seven years at Spurs since Mauricio Pochettino departed in 2019.
Frank was fired after he failed to build on his success at Brentford.
Despite leading Spurs to the round of 16 in the Champions League, Frank has overseen a desperate domestic campaign. A 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday was greeted by boos from the home fans and left the club without a league win in 2026.
The home defeat to Newcastle extended a woeful run to one win in 11 in England’s top flight.
Spurs dropped to 16th in the standings, two places above the relegation zone.
Frank was appointed at the end of last season when Ange Postecoglou was fired despite leading Tottenham to its first trophy in 17 years by winning the Europa League and securing Champions League qualification.
Tottenham’s next fixture is at home to local rival Arsenal in the Premier League on Feb. 22.
